Vintage Patchwork Modern Overdyed Hand Knotted Area Carpet-Cloud 11070 9' x 12'

Cloud is the lightest register of the patchwork overdye lineage, where the dye bath is built from a small amount of indigo and a larger amount of weld so the resulting field reads as a soft pale blue-grey rather than as a saturated colour. The variation is the harder commission for the workshop because the underlying older drawings read more clearly through a lighter overdye, which means the patchwork seams need to be calibrated for tonal continuity rather than just for thickness.

The base carpets were woven on vertical looms in India by three to four weavers per piece, in hand-spun wool on cotton warp, tied in Persian asymmetric knots, over five to six months. The patchwork construction took a further four weeks at a specialist workshop, with sections selected for tonal proximity rather than just for size, hand-stitched at the seams, and reinforced. The overdye used indigo and weld in a single short bath so the saturation remained light. The rug was sun-dried over four days and brushed back.

The composition

A soft pale blue-grey field with the underlying older Persian drawings reading clearly through as tonal shadow of palmette, medallion, and vine. The colour shifts gently across the field as the eye moves over different base sections. The seams are visible and contribute to the composition rather than detracting from it. The border continues the patchwork field to the selvedge. The light overdye lets the original wool's lanolin glow read through.

What you are buying

Patchwork overdye carpets in the light pastel register reach twenty to forty-five thousand US dollars through the specialist Western dealers when condition matches. This rug shares the construction discipline, the base carpet quality, and the calibrated overdye process. At one and a half lac it sits well below the dealer comparable and appreciates with use rather than depreciating.

The piece in a room

9' x 12' (274 x 366 cm) anchors a primary drawing room. The soft palette pairs particularly well with chalk-plaster modern interiors and Scandinavian wood furniture. Pairs with washed oak, brushed brass, raw linen, and modern art in any register. The light ground keeps the rug from competing with the architecture.

Conservation

Rotate the rug a half turn each spring and autumn. Vacuum weekly, suction only, beater bar off. Blot spills at once with clean cotton, never rub. Patchwork overdyes benefit from professional cleaning every four years. The seams should be checked at every clean. With this care the rug runs five decades.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted patchwork wool on cotton foundation, overdyed
• Dimensions: 274 x 366 cm (9' x 12')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot, hand-stitched patchwork
• Hands: original weavers across multiple base carpets; ~4 weeks patchwork and overdye finishing
• Pile: hand-spun wool
• Dye: light overdye in indigo and weld
• Origin: India

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