Qom in pure silk | 81 x 61 cm | Nr. Z-2814

Floral Qom in pure silk, dusky pink with border and medallion

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	81 cm x 61 cm (= 0.4941 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk Weft & Warp: pure silk
knots per m²2	560.000
Pile height	5mm
Year of manufacture	1985
Colour	Dusky pink, olive green
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 framed by a surround (border). The border forms a splendid contrast to the centre.

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

This Qom is graced by the so-called Mehrab or Mihrab motif. Mehrab refers to the Islamic prayer niche in mosques, which indicates the qibla, the direction of prayer towards Mecca. Traditionally, rugs with the Mehrab motif are used by Muslims for prayer and are therefore especially precious.

The background of this Qom is cream white. Dusky pink and olive green also dominate the overall impression. The border is worked in dusky pink and olive green.

Material

The silk of this Qom's pile lets the colours of the pattern shine in different facets, depending on how the light falls. It makes this Qom a real jewel and gives the room a cosy yet very elegant, high-quality atmosphere. Silk is obtained by hand from the cocoons of the silk moth. Because the individual silk filaments are extremely long, very fine yarns can be spun that are light in weight and still tear-resistant. Fine yarn allows smaller knots to be tied and therefore finer patterns to be created. That is why the world's finest rugs are hand-knotted from pure silk. In this Qom even the foundation is made of pure silk. The thin yet hard-wearing material of the weft and warp threads allows a particularly fine knotting and therefore a particularly fine pattern.