Nain | 76 x 36 cm | Nr. 19432

Floral old Nain runner, dark blue with motif and border

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	76 cm x 36 cm (= 0.27 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool with pure silk Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	720.000
Pile height	6mm
Year of manufacture	1990
Colour	Dark blue, Beige
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

 

Origin

Nain is one of the best-known rug provenances (source, origin) in Iran. The town of Nain lies north-west of Isfahan and has a long weaving tradition. Before the Qajar dynasty (1794 - 1925), the finest cloaks for noblemen – known as abas – were made here. Under the influence of Western culture, the traditional cloak was displaced as clothing by the suit. The weavers shifted their business and began knotting rugs.

Today's rugs from Nain owe their unmistakable patterns and colour combinations above all to the master Hadj Fatollah Habibian Naiini. He restricted himself to fewer than ten colours in his knotting and so laid the foundation for the colour composition of the Nain rugs that remain so popular today. To this day the base colours are usually white or beige and blue, although Nain rugs in red, green and yellow are appearing more and more often. Floral patterns whose outlines are accentuated with silk are typical. Thanks to their understated elegance, Nain rugs also work well in modern interiors.

Nain rugs are divided into four quality grades, which are given in Lah (the Persian word for layer). Lah describes the number of threads twisted together to form the warp. The more threads are used, the thicker the warp and therefore the knots, and the lower the knot density. This old Nain is around 30 years old and a true collector's piece.

 

Pattern

The lavish floral motifs of this Nain are elegant and full of variety. The graceful vegetal symbols, depicting blossoms, leaves and branches, are artfully intertwined.

The repeating elements in the central field of this Nain rug have no specific centre (what is known as a repeat pattern). The recurring design feels calming without ever becoming dull. Rugs with a repeat pattern are also described as all-over patterned.

The edge of the rug is graced by a surround (border). The border forms a wonderful contrast to the centre.

The background of this Nain is dark blue. The border is worked in beige, dark blue and light brown.

 

Condition

You aren't the first to take a liking to this Nain. It has had owners before you who valued it and put it to use. It was hand-knotted around 1990. We have cleaned it thoroughly and lovingly restored it. Despite its age, it is therefore in very good condition.

 

Material

The pile of this Nain was hand-knotted from high-quality new wool. New wool is obtained by gently shearing sheep. The pattern has been worked in pure silk, so the colours of this Nain's design shimmer in different shades depending on how the light falls. New wool is a renewable, natural raw material with a number of impressive properties: thanks to the natural lanolin in the wool, the surface repels water droplets and is naturally protected against dirt. Wool also provides excellent thermal insulation, helps regulate the indoor climate and dampens sound. Silk is gathered by hand from the cocoons of the silkworm. Because the individual silk filaments are extremely long, very fine yarns can be spun that are still tear-resistant despite their light weight. This fine yarn allows smaller rug knots to be tied and therefore finer patterns to be created. That is why the finest rugs in the world are hand-knotted from pure silk. The weft and warp threads of this Nain are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic, which makes it particularly well suited to a hard-wearing foundation.