1868 · 9'5" x 12'7" Persian Tabriz Oversized Rug

The navy diamond medallion on the red field is charming. At the center, a navy diamond medallion sits on a red field, with small navy pendants set above and below it. The medallion holds a pale blue core of tiny rosettes and vines. Cream lattice panels fill the field corners, carrying small red and green blossoms, and a slate blue piece closes each outer corner. The main border is dark blue, set with red and pale blue rosettes joined by lovely curling vine and small leaves, flanked by narrow guard stripes in tan and pink. The pile is low across the red field, where the weave shows through, while the border keeps more height. A light antique wash has softened the colors without reaching the drawing. It brings the weight of the navy medallion and the warmth of the red field into one piece. At 9'5" by 12'7", it fits a dining table for six with the chairs pulled out, or a full living room seating group.

Medallion carpet designs of the 16th century are usually associated with Tabriz, then the Safavid capital and the seat of the royal design workshops. A special court workshop, possibly at Tabriz, is credited with translating the most splendid book illuminations into carpets. The city workshop tradition of Tabriz, in northwestern Persia, shows in the discipline of the drawing. Centered medallions and borders that turn cleanly at the corners are the marks of Tabriz work. This rug keeps that centered medallion and the clean turn of the border at each corner. Its workshops used a wider palette than most, and here the red field meets navy, cream and a pale blue note in the corners.

Origin: Woven in the 1970s in Tabriz, Persia, a region celebrated for its elegant Persian craftsmanship.