Kashmir rug in pure silk | 195 x 118 cm | Nr. Z-4640

Kashmir rug in pure silk

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Kashmir
Dimensions	195 cm x 118 cm (= 2.3 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk Weft & Warp: cotton
knots	360.000
Year of manufacture	1985
Condition	pre-owned, cleaned & partially restored
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.

Material

The silk pile of this pure silk Kashmir rug makes the colours of the pattern glow in ever-changing shades, depending on how the light falls. It turns this pure silk Kashmir rug into a real highlight and gives the room an atmosphere that is cosy and at the same time thoroughly elegant and refined. Silk is harvested 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 highly tear-resistant. Fine yarn allows smaller knots to be tied and therefore more intricate patterns to be created. That is why the finest rugs in the world are hand-knotted from pure silk.

The weft and warp threads of this Kashmir rug in pure silk are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic and therefore particularly well suited to a hard-wearing foundation.

Condition

This Kashmir rug in pure silk has a story to tell. It was knotted around 1985. It has been cleaned thoroughly and is in good, though only partly restored, condition. The edges are damaged in places. The fringes could do with a repair. The rug shows several rather subtle discolourations. We have not fully restored this Kashmir rug in pure silk, because we feel it has a special charm just as it is. If that is what you would like, we will of course gladly carry on restoring the rug for you. We can bring almost any rug back to a near-perfect condition.