Kashmir rug in pure silk | 160 x 91 cm | Nr. Z-4641

Kashmir rug in pure silk, turquoise with border and paradise garden pattern

Origin	Kashmir
Dimensions	160 cm x 91 cm (= 1.46 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	300.000
Pile height	6mm
Year of manufacture	1985
Colour	Turquoise, dusky pink
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 the patterns are influenced by traditional Persian designs. This goes back a long way, as the Mughal emperors (1526-1857) once brought Persian rug knotters to their court in India. That is why people also speak of the Indo-Persian style. Another legend, however, has it that in 1398 the tribute-paying Sultan of Kashmir had to send his son as a hostage to Timur Lenk (Tamerlane) in Samarkand. There the young prince came to know the craft of knotting and, on his return, introduced it in Kashmir together with knotters from Samarkand.

Pattern

The paradise garden design is a stylised depiction of a traditional Persian garden. The Greek word "paradeisos" goes back to the Middle Persian word "pardēs". Originally the word referred to the Persian royal gardens, and only in the biblical context did it take on the connotation of the garden of God. The fertile, artfully laid-out royal gardens were home to a wide variety of exotic plants and animals. They are enclosed by a wall, symbolic of the separation between heaven and earth. Paradise gardens are places of veneration and symbols of status. Traditional Persian gardens were rectangular, with a river or body of water running from north to south and from east to west, forming a cross that divides the garden into four sections. Roofed pavilions or structures and raised walkways for viewing the garden from above were just as common as fountains and waterfalls symbolising eternal life. In rugs with a paradise garden motif – like this one – the depiction of water, so precious in arid regions, plays a prominent role.

The background of this Kashmir rug is turquoise. The border is worked in turquoise, dusky pink and dark blue.

Condition

This Kashmir rug has had admirers before you. The edges are damaged in places. It was hand-knotted around 1985. We have cleaned it thoroughly and restored it with care. Despite its age, it is therefore in very good condition.

Material

The silk of this Kashmir rug's pile makes the colours of the pattern shine in ever-changing facets, depending on how the light falls. It turns this Kashmir rug into a real highlight and creates a cosy yet very elegant and refined atmosphere in the room. 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 made that stay tear-resistant despite their low weight. Fine yarn allows smaller rug knots to be tied and therefore finer patterns to be created. This is why the finest rugs in the world 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 elastic and therefore particularly well suited to a hard-wearing foundation.