Antique Re-Import Sarough Mohajeran | 145 x 69 cm | Nr. Z-3334

Antique Re-Import Sarough Mohajeran

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Persia
Dimensions	145 cm x 69 cm (= 1.0 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) Weft & Warp: cotton
knots	420.000
Year of manufacture	1920
Condition	pre-owned, but in very good condition (cleaned & restored)
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

This rug comes from the small town of Mohajeran, which lies between the cities of Sarough (also Sarouk, Saruk or Sarogh) and Hamadan. Sarough is one of Iran's best-known rug-knotting regions. Situated in the west Persian province of Aarak, it takes in the provenances of Arak, Djozan, Ghiasabad, Mahal, Malayer, Mohajeran, Sultanabad and Wiss. In Sarough, Persian patterns of every kind are knotted, some of them to the buyer's own specifications. Weavers are especially fond of the neighbouring Farahan designs as well as their own Sultanabad patterns and the so-called Mir-i-Boteh pattern made up of paisley motifs. Typical of Sarough rugs is the excellent wool quality of the pile, as the new wool comes from the Persian highlands. The foundation – warp and weft – is usually cotton, however. In old and antique pieces 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.

The so-called American Saroughs are considered a special case in the art of rug knotting in Iran; they were knotted between 1900 and 1940 especially 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 have 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. That is why the pieces first re-imported into Iran are particularly rare.

This Antique Re-Import Sarough Mohajeran is a collector's piece. It is around 106 years old, and that alone makes it a truly special piece. Antique rugs like this Antique Re-Import Sarough Mohajeran remain highly sought after and fetch top prices at renowned auction houses.

Material

The technique used to prepare the materials for the pile of this Antique Re-Import Sarough Mohajeran is more than 200 years old. The wool was dyed with natural dyes and spun by hand. Dyeing with natural or plant 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, you even need two kilograms of weld per kilo of wool. Spinning the wool is also time- and labour-intensive. What is more, fewer and fewer people still master the craft of spinning wool by hand.

But the effort is worth it: dyeing with natural colours allows the high-quality wool to keep its natural oil content. Wool that has been dyed with natural colours and spun by hand creates fascinating, shimmering 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 Antique Re-Import Sarough Mohajeran are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and pliable, which makes it particularly well suited to a hard-wearing foundation weave.

Condition

This Antique Re-Import Sarough Mohajeran has a history. Parts of the border are missing on both sides. The fringes on both ends were added at a later date. It was knotted around 1920. We have cleaned it thoroughly and restored it with great care. Despite its age, it is therefore in very good condition.