Qom in pure silk | 301 x 199 cm | Nr. Z-2365

Floral Qom in pure silk, black with border and medallion

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	301 cm x 199 cm (= 5.9899 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk Weft: cotton Warp: pure silk
knots per m²2	810.000
Pile height	3mm
Year of manufacture	2010
Colour	Black, dark red
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

Qom is a relatively young provenance for Persian rugs. The city of Qom (also Ghom, Ghoum, Goum) lies in the centre of Iran, about 100 km south of the capital, Tehran. Since Qom had no long knotting tradition of its own to build on, patterns were – and still are – adopted from other weaving regions. Over time, however, a distinctive style grew out of this. Today the silk rugs from Qom are among the most celebrated and finest rugs in the world. The field of Qom rugs often has a light ground, decorated with finely drawn medallion patterns or all-over boteh or vase motifs.

Pattern

The edge of the rug is graced by a surround (border). The border forms a wonderful contrast to the centre.

The lavish floral motifs of this Qom are elegant and wonderfully varied. The graceful plant symbols, depicting blossoms, leaves and branches, are artfully intertwined.

At the heart of this Qom's central field lies 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 background of this Qom is black. The border is kept in dark red. In the centre, dark red and cream white are combined.

Material

The silk pile of this Qom lets the colours of the pattern glow in different shades, depending on how the light falls. It turns this Qom into a real highlight and creates an atmosphere in the room that is cosy and at the same time very elegant and refined. Silk is obtained by hand from the cocoons of the silkworm. Because the individual silk filaments are extremely long, very fine yarns can be spun that are light in weight yet still tear-resistant. Fine yarn makes it possible to tie smaller knots and so to create more detailed patterns. That is why the finest rugs in the world are hand-knotted from pure silk. The weft threads of this Qom are made of cotton. Pure silk was used for the warp threads.