Kelim | 262 x 222 cm | Nr. 3719

Floral antique Keshan, dark red with border and medallion

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	426 cm x 326 cm (= 13.8876 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	360.000
Pile height	6mm
Year of manufacture	1920
Colour	Dark red, dark blue
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

The central Persian city of Keshan (also written Kashan or Keschan) lies between the slopes of the Zagros Mountains and the Persian desert regions. Thanks to its climate and the caravans that crossed the country, it was – at least until the Safavids moved their seat of government to Isfahan – a flourishing metropolis, known above all for its fabric and rug production. To this day it is shaped by the elegance and splendour of that era. Keshan rugs are artful textiles made in an age-old tradition. In Keshan, production traditionally took place in the weavers' own homes. The pile is typically knotted from exceptionally soft wool, which makes it particularly dense and compact. This antique Keshan is a collector's piece. It is around 100 years old, and for that reason alone it is a truly special piece. Antique rugs like this Keshan are as sought after as ever and fetch top prices at renowned auction houses.

Pattern

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

At the heart of this Keshan's central field sits the symmetrical centrepiece, also known as the medallion. The design of the field is subordinate to the medallion, so that the medallion seems to float on the field.

The lush floral motifs of this Keshan are elegant and full of variety. The graceful plant forms, showing blossoms, leaves and branches, are artfully intertwined.

The background of this Keshan is dark red. The border is worked in turquoise, dark blue and light red.

Condition

You are not the first to take a liking to this Keshan. It has had owners before you who valued and used it. It was hand-knotted around 1920. It has been thoroughly cleaned and is in good but unrestored condition. The fringes could do with a repair. The edges are damaged in places. The rug has a hole roughly 40 cm across. The rug has a few bald patches. In some spots you can see white threads. That is entirely normal with older rugs. They are the knot ends of the weft and warp weave, which work their way to the surface over the years. In substance, this is no real problem. We have not restored this Keshan because we feel it has a special presence exactly as it is. If you would like us to, we will of course be happy to restore the rug for you. Either way, this Keshan will give you pleasure for decades to come.

Material

The technique used to make the materials for the pile of this Keshan is more than 200 years old. The wool was dyed with natural colours and spun by hand. Dyeing with natural or plant-based colours 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, you even need two kilograms of weld per kilo of wool. Spinning the wool is time-consuming and labour-intensive as well. On top of that, fewer and fewer people still know how to spin wool by hand.

But the effort is worth it: because it is dyed with natural colours, the high-quality wool keeps its natural lanolin content. Wool dyed with natural colours and spun by hand creates fascinating, shifting patterns. The charm of hand-spun wool, with its slight irregularities and natural shades, comes into its own 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 Keshan are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic, which makes it especially well suited to a hard-wearing foundation.