Kashmir rug in pure silk | 151 x 90 cm | Nr. Z-3006

Floral Kashmir rug in pure silk with border

Origin	Kashmir
Dimensions	151 cm x 90 cm (= 1.359 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	350.000
Pile height	5mm
Year of manufacture	2010
Colour
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

The mountainous land of Kashmir in the Himalayas is divided: one third belongs to Pakistan as a province, while the other two thirds form the union state of "Jammu and Kashmir", which is part of India. The population of the larger union state is predominantly Muslim and seeks independence. The hand-knotted rugs come exclusively from the Indian part of Kashmir and are knotted mainly in the provincial capital Srinagar and the surrounding area. Kashmir's silk rugs are famous, and they are usually made on a cotton foundation.

The colours of Kashmir rugs are rather restrained, and their patterns are influenced by traditional Persian designs. This goes back a long way: the Mughal emperors (1526-1857) once brought Persian rug weavers to their court in India. That is why people also speak of the Indo-Persian style. Another legend, by contrast, has it that in 1398 the tribute-paying Sultan of Kashmir had to send his son to Timur Lenk (Tamerlane) in Samarkand as a hostage. There the young prince became acquainted with the craft of knotting, and on his return he introduced it in Kashmir together with weavers from Samarkand.

Pattern

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

The lavish floral motifs of this Kashmir rug are elegant and varied in their design. The graceful plant symbols, depicting blossoms, leaves and branches, are artfully intertwined.

Condition

You are not the first to take a liking to this Kashmir rug. It has had owners before you who valued and used it. The edges are damaged in parts. It was knotted around 2010 . We have cleaned it thoroughly and lovingly restored it. It is therefore – despite its age – in very good condition.

Material

The Silk of the pile of this Kashmir rug makes the colours of the pattern glow in different nuances, depending on how the light falls. It turns this Kashmir rug into a real jewel 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. This fine yarn makes it possible to tie smaller rug knots and so to create finer patterns. That is why the world's finest rugs are hand-knotted from pure silk. The weft and warp threads of this Kashmir rug are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and stretchy, which makes it especially suited to a hard-wearing foundation.