Vintage Patchwork Modern Overdyed Hand Knotted Area Carpet-Mazzarine Blue 11079 8' x 10'

Mazzarine blue is a deep saturated indigo with the slightest violet undertone, named for the seventeenth-century Cardinal Mazarin who favoured the tone in court textiles. As an overdye the colour has to hold its depth without sliding into either pure indigo or pure violet, and the bath must be set at a temperature that allows the older wool to absorb the dye fully.

Older hand-knotted wool sections were recovered, sheared, and washed clean of their previous dye. Two artisans worked the dye phase over roughly four months, lowering each piece into a Mazzarine blue bath for forty-eight hours at controlled temperature. A finisher then assembled the dyed patches onto a cotton support and trimmed the pile to six millimetres with a closing hand-shear.

The composition

A field of deep saturated blue that holds tonal weight across the rug, with some patches reading closer to pure indigo and others carrying a faint violet undertone. The seams between patches are quiet. Underlying carpet patterns ghost through as the faintest tonal shifts. Under candlelight the blue settles into near-black with the slightest cool edge. Over two years the colour will deepen and the wool will gain the polish older fibre develops underfoot.

What you are buying

European patchwork overdyes of this scale and construction are routinely sold at four to six lakh through Western dealers. This piece is offered direct from the Indian workshop. The constituent wool is older and denser than any new spinning, and the carpet appreciates with use rather than depreciating.

The piece in a room

8' x 10' (244 x 305 cm) holds a primary living room or a study lined with bookshelves. The Mazzarine blue ground works against cream plaster walls, against deep walnut joinery, and against pale oak floors. It pairs with brass and aged bronze lighting, with leather upholstery in cognac or oxblood, and with mid-century walnut furniture. The rug grounds rooms with high ceilings.

Conservation

Suction vacuum every week. Rotate end to end each spring and autumn. Blot spills immediately with a clean white cotton cloth from the edge inward. Avoid bleach and strong solvents. A wool conservator should hand-wash the rug every five years.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted wool patchwork, overdyed
• Dimensions: 244 x 305 cm (8' x 10')
• Construction: original Persian-asymmetric knot, re-stitched
• Hands: 2 artisans and 1 finisher, ~4 months
• Pile: 6 mm
• Colour: Mazzarine blue
• Origin: India

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