Nain | 198 x 132 cm | Nr. 352690

Floral Nain, beige with border, medallion and signature

Origin	Iran
Dimensions	198 cm x 132 cm (= 2.61 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: kork wool with pure silk Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	810.000
Pile height	5mm
Condition	new
Colour	Beige, Light blue
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

 

Origin

Nain is one of the best-known rug provenances (source, origin) in Iran. The town of Nain lies north-west of Isfahan and has a long weaving tradition. Before the Qajar dynasty (1794 - 1925), the finest cloaks for noblemen – known as abas – were made here. Under the influence of Western culture, the traditional cloak was displaced as clothing by the suit. The weavers shifted their business and began knotting rugs.

Today's rugs from Nain owe their unmistakable patterns and colour combinations above all to the master Hadj Fatollah Habibian Naiini. He restricted himself to fewer than ten colours in his knotting and so laid the foundation for the colour composition of the Nain rugs that remain so popular today. To this day the base colours are usually white or beige and blue, although Nain rugs in red, green and yellow are appearing more and more often. Floral patterns whose outlines are accentuated with silk are typical. Thanks to their understated elegance, Nain rugs also work well in modern interiors.

Nain rugs are graded in four quality levels, stated in Lah (the Persian word for layer). Lah refers to the number of threads twisted together to form the warp. The more threads are used, the thicker the warp and therefore the knots, and the lower the knot density. Only 6 individual strands were used for this piece. Among specialists it therefore counts as a sought-after 6LAH Nain rug. The signature on this Nain translates as: "Iran Habibian Nain".

 

Pattern

The lavish floral motifs of this Nain are elegant and full of variety. The graceful vegetal symbols, depicting blossoms, leaves and branches, are artfully intertwined.

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

At the heart of this Nain's central field lies the symmetrical centre, also known as the medallion. The design of the field is subordinate to the medallion, creating the impression that the medallion is floating on the field.

A special highlight of this Nain is its signature. The signature documents that it was made in one of the most renowned knotting workshops in Nain. Written in Arabic characters, it expresses the individuality and the noble origin of this rug.

The background of this Nain is beige. The border is worked in beige, light blue and light blue. In the light blue centre, light blue and light brown are combined.

 

Material

The pile of this Nain was hand-knotted from kork wool and silk. Kork wool (also written kurk) is a particularly fine-threaded knotting yarn that feels almost velvety. It is taken from the neck, the belly and the inner legs of the sheep and is of especially high quality. The pattern of this Nain is picked out in lustrous pure silk, obtained by hand from the cocoons of the silk moth. The silk elements create a shimmering contrast and let the colours glow in different nuances, depending on how the light falls. The weft and warp threads of this Nain are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic, which makes it especially suitable for a hard-wearing foundation.