Kashmir rug in pure silk | 292 x 80 cm | Nr. Z-3423

Kashmir runner in pure silk, light green with border and panel pattern

Origin	Kashmir
Dimensions	292 cm x 80 cm (= 2.336 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	560.000
Pile height	4mm
Year of manufacture	2010
Colour	Light green, bright colours
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 so-called panel pattern of this Kashmir rug recalls a lushly planted garden with geometrically laid-out beds, each individually framed. This design is so characteristic that panel-pattern rugs are also known as garden rugs in German. The individual compartments in the pattern of this Kashmir rug show different motifs, yet follow a strictly symmetrical, rectangular arrangement.

There is a reason for this: large parts of Persia and many other regions of the Middle and Near East are desert- or steppe-like arid areas, where so-called irrigation horticulture is widely practised. Water is channelled to the beds through small irrigation canals. The panel pattern renders this irrigation system in heavily simplified form. Because of the dryness in these regions, blooming and verdant gardens are also something quite special. The panel pattern therefore probably goes back to the wish to bring a little garden – and with it a small paradise – into the home. In the Koran the term garden, as the earthly counterpart to paradise – a word of Old Persian origin, incidentally – appears very frequently.

The overall impression is dominated by light green and a mix of bright colours. The border is worked in light green, light blue and bright colours.

Condition

This Kashmir rug had admirers before you. It was hand-knotted around 2010. We have cleaned it thoroughly and lovingly restored it. That is why – despite its age – it is in very good condition.

Material

The silk pile of this Kashmir rug makes the colours of the pattern glow in ever-changing facets, depending on how the light falls. It turns this Kashmir rug into a real jewel and creates an atmosphere 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 yet still tear-resistant. The fine yarn allows smaller knots to be tied and therefore finer 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 are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic, which makes it particularly suitable for a hard-wearing foundation.