Old Re-Import Sarough | 121 x 64 cm | Nr. 11044

Old Re-Import Sarough

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Persia
Dimensions	121 cm x 64 cm (= 0.77 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (natural colours) Weft & Warp: cotton
knots	250.000
Year of manufacture	1920
Condition	pre-owned, cleaned & partially restored
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

This rug comes from Sarough (also spelled Sarouk, Saruk or Sarogh). Sarough is one of the best-known rug-knotting regions in Iran. Located in the western Persian province of Aarak, it takes in the provenances Arak, Djozan, Ghiasabad, Mahal, Malayer, Mohajeran, Sultanabad and Wiss. Persian patterns of every kind are knotted in Sarough, in some cases to the buyer's own specifications. Weavers there are especially fond of the neighbouring Farahan designs, of their own Sultanabad patterns and of the so-called Mir-i-Boteh pattern made up of paisley motifs. Typical of this type of rug is the very good wool quality of the pile, as the new wool comes from the Persian highlands. The foundation – warp and weft – is, however, usually made of cotton. In old and antique rugs you will often find a blue weft thread. The knotting is very fine and the pile relatively high.

Especially sought after by collectors are the old and antique rugs of the Mahal and Malayer types that were knotted in Sarough between 1880 and 1930.

A special case in the art of rug knotting in Iran is the so-called American Saroughs, which were knotted between 1900 and 1940 specifically for the American market. The colours of the American Saroughs are limited to rust, red, blue and a few brown and beige tones, and they show a floral pattern that usually does without a central medallion. In the 1970s these pieces also became very popular in Iran and were re-imported there. Hence the name. Only a very few pieces found their way from Iran to Europe. This is why the pieces that were first re-imported into Iran are especially rare.

This Old Re-Import Sarough is around 106 years old and a true collector's piece.

Material

The technique used to dye the wool for the pile of this Old Re-Import Sarough is more than 200 years old. Dyeing with natural or plant dyes is more complicated, more expensive and more time-consuming than dyeing with chemical dyes. For a luminous red, for example, around one kilo of ground madder root is needed as dyestuff per kilo of wool. For a strong yellow that is not too pale, it even takes two kilograms of the dyestuff weld per kilo of wool. Spinning the wool is just as time-consuming and labour-intensive. On top of that, fewer and fewer people still know how to spin wool by hand.

But the effort is worth it: dyeing with natural dyes allows the high-quality wool to keep its natural lanolin content. Wool dyed with natural dyes 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 equally in rooms furnished in a more traditional or country style.

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

Condition

This old re-import Sarough has had admirers before you. It was knotted around 1920. It has been cleaned thoroughly and is in good, though only partly restored, condition. One corner of this piece is damaged. The ends have been shortened on both sides and the fringes renewed. The pile is heavily worn in places and has also suffered moth damage. We have not restored this old re-import Sarough completely, because we feel that it has a special charm just as it is. If that is what you would like, we are of course happy to continue restoring the rug for you. We can bring almost any rug back to near-perfect condition.