Old Sarough | 148 x 102 cm | Nr. Z-2099

Old Sarough

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Persia
Dimensions	148 cm x 102 cm (= 1.51 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (natural colours) Weft & Warp: cotton
knots	300.000
Year of manufacture	1930
Condition	pre-owned, but in very good condition (cleaned & 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.

This Old Sarough is around 96 years old and a real collector's piece.

Material

The technique used to dye the wool for the pile of this Old Sarough is more than 200 years old. 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 is not too pale, it even takes two kilograms of weld per kilo of wool. Spinning the wool is just as time-consuming and labour-intensive. And 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 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 Sarough has had admirers before you. The pile is worn in places. It was knotted around 1930. We have cleaned it thoroughly and restored it with care. Despite its age, it is therefore in very good condition.