Qom | 200 x 132 cm | Nr. Z-4618

Qom, light red with border and medallion

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	200 cm x 132 cm (= 2.64 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: kork wool with pure silk Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	250.000
Pile height	6mm
Year of manufacture	1975
Colour	Light red, dark blue
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

Qom is a relatively young provenance for Persian rugs. The city of Qom (also Ghom, Gom, Ghoum, Goum) lies in central Iran, about 100 km south of the capital Tehran. As there was no old knotting tradition in Qom to build on, patterns were and still are adopted from other weaving regions. Over time, however, a style of its own has grown out of this. The silk rugs from Qom are today among the most famous and finest rugs in the world. The field of rugs from Qom often has a light ground decorated with finely drawn medallion patterns or all-over boteh or vase designs.

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 background of this Qom is light red. The border is worked in dark blue, dark red and terracotta.

Condition

This Qom has a story to tell. It was hand-knotted around 1975. It has been thoroughly cleaned and is in good, though only partly restored, condition. The fringes could do with a repair.The pile is evenly worn.The edges are damaged in places. In a few spots you can see some white threads. That is quite normal with older rugs. These are the knot ends of the weft and warp weave, which work their way to the surface over the years. In substance, this is not a major problem.There are a few stains to report. We have not fully restored this Qom because we feel it has a special charm just as it is. If you would like us to, we will of course happily restore the rug further for you. We can bring almost any rug back to a near-perfect condition.

Material

The pile of this Qom was hand-knotted from kork wool and silk. Kork wool, also spelled kurk, is an especially fine knotting yarn that feels almost velvety. It is taken from the neck, the belly and the inner legs of the sheep and is of particularly high quality. The pattern of this Qom 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 Qom are cotton. This versatile material is strong and flexible, which makes it especially well suited to a hard-wearing foundation.