Kaschmar | 136 x 88 cm | Nr. Z-2813

Floral Kaschmar, blue-grey with border and medallion

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	136 cm x 88 cm (= 1.1968 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool with mercerised cotton Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	300.000
Pile height	6mm
Year of manufacture	2005
Colour	Blue grey, beige
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

The town of Kaschmar lies in eastern Persia in the province of Khorasan and is the capital of the district of the same name. It was originally called Turschis and was renamed Kaschmar in the time of Reza Shah. That is why Kaschmar rugs are sometimes still traded under their old name, Turschis.

Until a good twenty years ago, it was mainly the Herati pattern that was knotted here, which was then taken up above all by the nearby provenances (source, origin) of Mood and Birjand. Today the so-called Sirchaki pattern prevails. The Sirchaki pattern depicts antique excavation finds such as vases, weapons, jugs, bowls and the like, usually on a blue or beige ground. The arrangement is almost always four-fold symmetrical with a central medallion that is occasionally adorned with a small scene. All of this is framed by a very pronounced main border. The medallions are sometimes asymmetrical and depict landscapes.

In more recent times, however, rugs with all-over patterns and rugs with the Nain pattern have also been knotted in Kaschmar, in the beige-and-blue colour combinations typical of the provenance. You can recognise these Kaschmar Nains by their deep pile. Kaschmar rugs have a fairly coarse knot density, look somewhat coarse-grained and the pile is relatively long.

Pattern

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

In the middle of the central field of this Kaschmar lies the symmetrical centre, also known as the medallion. The design of the field is subordinate to the medallion, giving the impression that the medallion is floating on the field.

The lush floral motifs of this Kaschmar are elegant and full of variety. The graceful vegetal symbols, depicting blossoms, leaves and branches, are artfully intertwined.

The background of this Kaschmar is blue-grey. The border is worked in beige and blue-grey. The blue-grey centre combines dark blue and beige.

Condition

You are not the first to take a liking to this Kaschmar. It had owners before you who valued it and used it. The pile is worn in places. It was hand-knotted around 2005. We have cleaned it thoroughly and lovingly restored it. Despite its age, it is therefore in very good condition.

Material

The pile of this Kaschmar was hand-knotted from high-quality new wool. Individual details of the pattern are also brought out by the sheen of mercerised cotton.
New wool is obtained by shearing live sheep. New wool is a renewable, natural raw material with a number of impressive qualities: thanks to the wool's natural grease content, the surface repels droplets of water and is therefore naturally proofed against dirt. Wool also offers excellent thermal insulation, helps regulate the indoor climate and dampens sound.
Cotton consists of lustrous fibres filled with cell sap. When this dries after the harvest, the surface of the fibre curls and loses its sheen through the refraction of light that results. In the middle of the 19th century, John Mercer invented the process of mercerisation named after him. In the course of mercerisation, the cotton is given a new, higher-grade fibre structure under tension in cold concentrated caustic soda. Mercerised cotton has shortened fibres with a round cross-section. The refined fabric no longer shrinks and is a delight thanks to its high dimensional stability. Because the light is refracted differently, it has a silky sheen. Mercerised cotton also takes up dye more readily and is considerably more tear-resistant than the original material. As mercerisation is elaborate and costly, only high-grade cotton fibres are given this treatment. Because of the silky sheen of the yarn, mercerised cotton – like viscose – is often called "artificial silk". The colloquial term "artificial silk", however, is not permitted under the German Textile Labelling Act (TKG). The weft and warp threads of this Kaschmar are made of cotton. The versatile material is tear-resistant and stretchy and therefore particularly well suited to a hard-wearing foundation weave.