Keshan | 207 x 135 cm | Nr. 19716

Floral Keshan, dark blue with border and motif

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	207 cm x 135 cm (= 2.79 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	360.000
Pile height	6mm
Year of manufacture	1960
Colour	Dark blue, dark red
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

The central Persian city of Keshan (also written Kashan or Keschan) lies between the slopes of the Zagros mountains and the Persian deserts. Thanks to its climate and the caravans that crossed the country, it was — at least until the Safavids moved their seat of government to Isfahan — a flourishing metropolis, known above all for its production of fabrics and rugs. To this day the city is shaped by the elegance and splendour of that era. Keshan rugs are artful textiles made in an age-old tradition. In Keshan, production traditionally took place in the weavers' own homes. The pile is typically knotted from exceptionally soft wool, which makes it particularly dense and compact.

Pattern

The lush floral motifs of this Keshan are elegant and full of variety. The graceful plant forms, showing blossoms, leaves and branches, are artfully intertwined.

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

The surface of this Keshan has a mottled look. The shifts in hue and the light-and-dark shading of the pile yarn make the colours shimmer and keep the rug forgiving of dirt. These so-called colour shifts, known as abrasch, make the rug look livelier. The mottling comes about because the wool of this Keshan was hand-spun. During dyeing, the natural dyes are taken up to varying degrees.

The background of this Keshan is dark blue. The border is worked in dark red, pink and beige.

Condition

This Keshan has a story to tell. It was hand-knotted around 1960. It has been thoroughly cleaned and is in good, though only partly restored, condition. The edges have suffered over the years and need repairing. We haven't fully restored this Keshan because we feel it has a special charm just as it is. If you'd like us to, we'll gladly carry on restoring the rug for you. We can bring almost any rug back to near-perfect condition.

Material

The pile of this Keshan was hand-knotted from high-quality new wool. New wool is obtained by gently shearing sheep. It is a renewable, natural raw material with a range of impressive qualities: thanks to the wool's natural lanolin content, the surface repels droplets of water and is naturally proofed against dirt. Wool also offers excellent thermal insulation, helps regulate the indoor climate and dampens sound. The weft and warp threads of this Keshan are cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic, which makes it ideal for a hard-wearing foundation weave.