Bijar | 190 x 113 cm | Nr. Z-4622

Bijar, light red with border and medallion

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	190 cm x 113 cm (= 2.15 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: kork wool with pure silk Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	360.000
Pile height	10mm
Year of manufacture	1995
Colour	Light red, dark blue
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

This rug was knotted in Bijar, in the province of Kermanshah in north-western Iran. Bijar rugs are among the sturdiest and finest Oriental rugs. The majority of the population in Bijar are Kurds.

In the Kurdish Bijar, a particularly thick and extremely hard weft yarn is beaten into the weave. The result is a board-stiff rug that is exceptionally hard-wearing. The younger Bijars in particular are decorated with the typical Herati pattern, also known as the fish pattern.

Pattern

The edge of the rug is framed by a decorative border. The border forms a beautiful contrast with the centre.

In the middle of this Bijar's central field lies the symmetrical centre, also known as the medallion. The design of the field is subordinate to the medallion, so that the medallion appears to float on the field.

The background of this Bijar is cream white. The overall impression is also dominated by light red and dark blue. The border is worked in cream white, light red and dark blue.

Condition

You are not the first to take a liking to this Bijar. It had owners before you who valued it and used it. Prolonged exposure to sunlight has shifted the colours a little. In places the Bijar rug looks slightly stained, though we can certainly get that out with a bit of time if you wish. It was hand-knotted around 1995. We have cleaned it thoroughly and restored it with care. It is therefore – despite its age – in very good condition.

Material

The pile of this Bijar was hand-knotted from cork wool and silk. Cork wool, also known as kurk wool, is a particularly fine-threaded knotting yarn that feels almost velvety. It is taken from the neck, the belly and the inner sides of the sheep's legs and is of especially high quality. The pattern of this Bijar is picked out in lustrous pure silk, obtained by hand from the cocoons of the silkworm. The silk elements create a shimmering contrast and make the colours glow in different shades, depending on how the light falls. The weft and warp threads of this Bijar are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic, and therefore particularly well suited to a hard-wearing foundation weave.