Old Koliai | 230 x 150 cm | Nr. Z-3001

Floral old Koliai, dark blue with border and medallion

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	230 cm x 150 cm (= 3.45 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	160.000
Pile height	5mm
Year of manufacture	1940
Colour	Dark blue, light red
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

Koliai (also Koliajy, Koliahi, Koliay) rugs are rustic, hand-knotted rugs made by the Kurds of western Persia. Koliai have a relatively high pile and a solid, voluminous weave using the Turkish knot, and some are knotted on a woollen foundation (weft & warp threads of wool).

When knotting rugs, the Kurds draw on all the classic provenances (origin, source). They do not copy the traditional patterns slavishly, though, but interpret them in their own way. The colouring in particular often differs considerably from the original designs. Among Koliai rugs you will therefore find the most varied designs, though usually in a rather dark palette. This old Koliai is around 80 years old and a true collector's piece.

Pattern

The edge of the rug is graced by a surround (border) . The border forms an excellent contrast with the centre.

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

In the middle of the central field of this Koliai 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 background of this Koliai is dark blue. The border is worked in dark blue and light red. In the light red centre, dark blue and old rose are combined.

Condition

You are not the first to take a liking to this Koliai. It has had owners before you who valued and used it. It was knotted around 1940 by hand. It has been thoroughly cleaned and is in good but unrestored condition. The edges are damaged in places. The fringes could do with a repair. The pile is worn in some spots. We have not restored this Koliai because we feel it has a special presence just as it is. If you would like us to, we will of course gladly restore the rug for you. Either way, this Koliai will bring you joy for decades to come.

Material

The technique used to produce the materials for the pile of this Koliai 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, shimmering patterns. The charm of hand-spun wool, with its slight irregularities and natural tones, comes into its own as a contrast in modern interiors, but equally in rooms furnished in a more traditional or country-house style. The weft and warp threads of this Koliai are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and stretchy, which makes it especially suited to a hard-wearing foundation.