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

Floral old Kerman, beige with border and medallion

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 per m²2	360.000
Pile height	10mm
Year of manufacture	1960
Colour	Beige
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

The city of Kerman (also Kirman) lies in south-eastern Persia at an altitude of about 2,000 metres. Kerman sits on the old caravan routes and has a centuries-old tradition in both craftsmanship and trade. Kerman is mentioned in Marco Polo's travel account Il Milione. Rugs from Kerman are marked by fine patterns, winding lines and soft gradations of colour. The classic designs 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 a wealth of red shades, traditionally obtained from the cochineal insect. This old Kerman is around 60 years old and a true collector's piece.

Pattern

The decorated edging (border) forms a wonderful contrast to the centre and shapes the transition at the edge of the rug.

In the middle of the central field of this Kerman lies the symmetrical centre, which is also medallion . The design of the field is subordinate to the medallion, so that the medallion appears to float on the field.

The lavish floral motifs of this Kerman are elegantly designed and full of variety. The graceful plant motifs, depicting blossoms, leaves and branches, are artfully intertwined.

The background of this Kerman is beige. The border is worked in light red and blue-grey. In the centre, blue-grey and light red are combined.

Condition

This Kerman has a history. The rug has a few stains. It was knotted around 1960 . We have cleaned it thoroughly and lovingly restored it. It is therefore – despite its age – in very good condition.

Material

The technique used to produce the materials for the pile of this Kerman is over 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 dyestuff per kilo of wool. For a strong yellow that isn't too pale, you even need two kilograms of the dye weld per kilo of wool. Spinning the wool is just as time-consuming and labour-intensive. And fewer and fewer people still master spinning wool by hand.

But the effort is worth it: dyeing with natural colours lets the high-quality wool keep its natural lanolin content. The wool dyed with natural dyes and spun by hand creates fascinating, shifting patterns. The charm of hand-spun wool, with its slight irregularities and natural shades, unfolds as a contrast in modern interiors, but just as well in rooms furnished in a more traditional or country-house style. The weft and warp threads of this Kerman are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and stretchy, which makes it especially suited to a hard-wearing foundation.