Antique Mahal | 414 x 335 cm | Nr. 19710

Floral antique Mahal, dark red with border

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	414 cm x 335 cm (= 13.87 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) Weft: cotton Warp: X
knots per m²2	90.000
Pile height	6mm
Year of manufacture	1910
Colour	Dark red, light brown
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

 

Origin

Mahal is a western Persian rug provenance, named after the town of Mahallat and the province of the same name.

From the 1870s onwards, the Mahallat region around the town of Sultanabad (formerly Arak) grew into an important centre for knotting Persian rugs for export. A key role in this was played by the English import house Messrs. Ziegler & Co. Ltd., run by a Swiss merchant, which opened a branch in Mahallat in 1883.

The rugs known as Farahan, Mahal, Ziegler-Mahal or simply Ziegler were knotted in the surrounding villages to Western colour and pattern specifications. This blend of European design briefs in a lighter, calmer palette with classic patterns in the style of Farahan and Sultanabad rugs was very well received in Europe.

The success was enormous, and Ziegler rugs became an international mark of quality. The exquisite flow of the many-petalled flowers is particularly impressive in Ziegler rugs. Well-preserved antique Ziegler rugs fetch record prices today – above all in the USA. For some years now, these antique Ziegler designs have been re-knotted in high quality in Pakistan and India.

The newly issued Ziegler rugs in hand-spun wool dyed with natural colours are part of a revival of hand-knotted rugs. This return to traditional techniques began in the early 1980s, driven among other things by the so-called DOBAG initiative. At first, reproduction focused on the Ziegler rugs described above. Later, almost every traditional Persian pattern began to be reproduced. This gave rise to adaptations of antique rugs as well as contemporary designs with the charm of an antique rug. This antique Mahal is a collector's piece. It is around 110 years old and a truly special piece for that reason alone. Antique rugs like this Mahal remain highly sought after and are auctioned at top prices by renowned auction houses.

 

Pattern

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

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

The repeating elements of this Mahal rug have no specific centre. The recurring repeat pattern feels calming without ever becoming dull. Rugs with a repeat pattern are also described as all-over patterned.

The background of this Mahal is dark red. The border is worked in dark blue, dark red and light brown.

 

Condition

You are not the first to take a liking to this Mahal. It had owners before you who valued and used it. It was hand-knotted in around 1910. We have cleaned it thoroughly and lovingly restored it. Despite its age, it is therefore in very good condition.

 

Material

The technique used to make the materials for the pile of this Mahal is over 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 dyes. 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 labour-intensive and time-consuming too. What is more, 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 oils. 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, unfolds as a contrast in modern interiors, but equally in rooms furnished in a more traditional or country style. The weft threads of this Mahal are made of cotton. X was used for the warp threads.