Antique Tabriz | 165 x 120 cm | Nr. 17469

Floral antique Tabriz, dark brown with medallion and border

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	165 cm x 120 cm (= 1.98 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	300.000
Pile height	4mm
Year of manufacture	1890
Colour	Dark brown, grey-beige
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

 

Origin

The city of Tabriz (also spelled Täbris or Täbriz) on Persia's northern border has always been a melting pot of different ethnic and religious groups, thanks to its position at the crossroads of countless caravan routes. Although the city lies in eastern Azerbaijan, the dialect spoken in Tabriz is related to Turkish. The bazaars of Tabriz traded, and still trade, in craftwork and above all in rugs from the surrounding villages. This antique Tabriz is a collector's piece. It is around 130 years old, and that alone makes it something truly special. Antique rugs like this Tabriz remain as sought after as ever and fetch top prices at renowned auction houses. Among connoisseurs, this antique Tabriz, or rather the Tabriz pattern, is also known by the name "Haj Jalil".

 

Pattern

In the middle of the central field of this Tabriz lies the symmetrical centre, 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 ornate border forms a wonderful contrast with the centre and shapes the transition at the edge of the rug.

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

The background of this Tabriz is dark brown. The border is worked in dark brown and grey-beige.

 

Condition

This Tabriz has had admirers before you. It was hand-knotted around 1890. It has been thoroughly cleaned and is in good, though only partly restored, condition. The general condition of this antique Tabriz is good. The fringes at both ends and a few other spots need closer attention. One corner has been restored fairly visibly. We have not fully restored this Tabriz, because we feel it has a special charm just as it is. If that is what you would like, we will of course be happy to carry on restoring it for you. We can bring almost any rug back to near-perfect condition.

 

Material

The technique used to make the materials for the pile of this Tabriz is more than 200 years old. The wool was dyed with natural colours and spun by hand. 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 dye per kilo of wool. For a strong yellow that is not too pale, you even need two kilograms of weld dye 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 colours lets the high-quality wool keep its natural oils. Wool 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, 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 Tabriz are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic, which makes it especially well suited to a hard-wearing foundation.