Indian Gabbeh | 143 x 76 cm | Nr. Z-861

Lightly framed Indian Gabbeh, multicoloured with tree of life

Origin	India
Dimensions	143 cm x 76 cm (= 1.09 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool & viscose Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	250.000
Pile height	10mm
Year of manufacture	2022
Colour	multicoloured, beige
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

The pattern of this rug is inspired by the patterns of classic Gabbeh. This rug, however, was knotted in India.

Exactly when rug production began in India is unknown. The first rugs were probably made in India during the cultural flowering of the Mughal dynasty in the middle of the 16th century. In the middle of the 19th century, with the decline of the Mughal dynasty, Indian rug production fell into crisis. European companies whose sole aim was export to the West took the place of the traditional court workshops. Very similar rugs were produced in different towns and standardisation set in. Today the designs of hand-knotted Indian rugs can hardly be attributed to individual regions any more. Instead, the workshops have specialised in executing European and traditional Iranian designs adapted to Western taste. In terms of quality, rugs from India benefit from the long tradition of craftsmanship and the high quality of Indian materials. Gabbeh rugs are knotted by nomads who live in the province of Fars near the city of Shiraz. In Persian, Gabbeh is the name for high-pile rugs that were slept on. Classic Gabbeh have imaginative, naive geometric patterns and are very colourful. Modern Gabbeh today mostly come in plain and monochrome designs. Even now, though, you'll still find stylised motifs from the nomads' daily life in the rugs, such as goats, camels, dogs, plants or people. Gabbeh rugs usually have natural cream, brown and grey tones, but you can also find lively yellow, red or blue.

Pattern

This Gabbeh is graced by a striking tree of life. The tree of life motif has been a much-loved design for Oriental rugs, pottery and other decorative objects for centuries. Because the symbol appears in many different cultures all over the world, its exact origin is unclear. The prevailing view is that it comes from ancient Mesopotamia. The features of the tree have changed over the centuries. The meaning attached to the tree of life still varies a little from one culture and religion to the next today. Almost everywhere, though, the tree of life is credited with sacred qualities.

In the world of yoga it is one of the outstanding spiritual symbols, rooting us to the ground and connecting us with the sky. The tree of life links all forms of life with Mother Earth and the universe.

The background of this Gabbeh is beige. Overall, the rug glows in bright, multicoloured tones. The border is kept in colourful shades.

Material

Gabbehs are hand-knotted from hand-spun wool and dyed with natural colours. The hand-spun wool gives the rugs a grainy yet soft surface. Traditionally, Gabbeh rugs were used for sleeping. They invite you to sit and lounge about in the living room, but they are also excellent for hallways and dining areas.

Hand-spun wool is always a little irregular. During dyeing, the natural dyes are absorbed to differing degrees. The rug looks livelier for it, with so-called abrash, colour shifts between lighter and darker shades. These changes in the shade of the pile yarn always run across the length of the Gabbeh and make the rug forgiving of dirt. The weft and warp threads of this Gabbeh are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic, which makes it especially suitable for a hard-wearing foundation.