Qom in pure silk | 302 x 217 cm | Nr. 17247

Floral old Qom in pure silk, light red with border, medallion and signature

Origin

Qom is a relatively young provenance for Persian rugs. The city of Qom (also Gom, Ghoum, Goum) lies in central Iran, some 100 km south of the capital Tehran. As Qom had no long rug-knotting tradition to build on, patterns were and still are adopted from other weaving regions. Over time, however, a style of its own has grown out of this. Today the silk rugs from Qom are among the most famous and finest rugs in the world. The field of Qom rugs is often light-ground and decorated with finely drawn medallion patterns or all-over boteh or vase designs. This old Qom is around 60 years old and a true collector's piece.

Pattern

The lavish floral motifs of this Qom are elegant and wonderfully varied. The graceful plant symbols, depicting blossoms, leaves and branches, are artfully intertwined.

The edge of the rug is framed by a decorative border. The border forms a beautiful contrast with the centre.

At the heart of this Qom's central field lies the symmetrical centrepiece, also known as the medallion. The design of the field is subordinate to the medallion, so that the medallion seems to float on the field.

A special highlight of this Qom is its signature. The signature records that it was made in one of the most renowned weaving workshops in Qom. Written in Arabic script, it speaks of the individual character and the noble origins of this rug.

The background of this Qom is light red. The border is worked in olive green and dark blue. The dark-blue centre combines turquoise and gold.

Condition

This Qom had admirers before you. Apart from slight discolouration on the fringes, this wonderful silk rug from Qom is beautifully preserved. It was hand-knotted around 1960. We have cleaned it thoroughly and lovingly restored it. It is therefore – despite its age – in very good condition.

Material

The silk of this Qom's pile makes the colours of the pattern shine in ever-changing facets, depending on how the light falls. It turns this Qom into a real highlight and creates an atmosphere in the room that is cosy and at the same time very elegant and refined. Silk is obtained by hand from the cocoons of the silk moth. Because the individual silk filaments are extremely long, very fine yarns can be spun that are light in weight yet still tear-resistant. Fine yarn allows smaller knots to be tied and therefore finer patterns to be created. This is why the finest rugs in the world are hand-knotted from pure silk. In this Qom, even the foundation is made of pure silk. The thin but hard-wearing material of the weft and warp threads permits a particularly fine knotting, and with it a particularly fine pattern.