Old Kerman | 650 x 356 cm | Nr. Z-2924

Old Kerman

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Persia
Dimensions	650 cm x 356 cm (= 23.14 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) Weft & Warp: cotton
knots	360.000
Year of manufacture	1960
Condition	pre-owned, but in very good condition (cleaned & restored)
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

The city of Kerman (also Kirman) lies in the south-east of Persia at around 2,000 metres above sea level. Kerman sits on the old caravan routes and looks back on centuries of tradition in both craft and trade. Kerman is mentioned in Marco Polo's travel account Il Milione. Rugs from Kerman are marked by fine patterns, flowing lines and soft gradations of colour. The classic patterns of the 19th century are often figurative. Hunting scenes and animals were depicted, as were mythological figures and historical personalities. The broad palette of Kerman rugs is enriched above all by its many shades of red, traditionally obtained from the cochineal insect.

This Old Kerman is around 66 years old and a true collector's piece.

Material

The technique used to make the materials for the pile of this Old Kerman is more than 200 years old. The wool was dyed with natural dyes and spun by hand. Dyeing with natural or plant-based dyes is more complicated, more expensive and more time-consuming than dyeing with chemical colours. For a luminous red, for example, you need around one kilo of ground madder root as dye per kilo of wool. For a strong yellow that is not too pale, it even takes two kilograms of weld dye per kilo of wool. Spinning the wool is time-consuming and labour-intensive too. And fewer and fewer people still know how to spin wool by hand.

But the effort is worth it: dyeing with natural colours allows the high-quality wool to keep its natural oil content. Wool that has been dyed with natural colours and spun by hand creates fascinating, shimmering patterns. The charm of hand-spun wool, with its slight irregularities and natural shades, comes into its own as a contrast in modern interiors, but equally in rooms furnished in a more traditional or country style.

The weft and warp threads of this Old Kerman are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic, which makes it especially well suited to a hard-wearing foundation weave.

Condition

This Old Kerman has a story to tell. The rug has a few stains. It was knotted around 1960. We cleaned it thoroughly and restored it with care. As a result – despite its age – it is in very good condition.