Old Bijar | 324 x 211 cm | Nr. 3831

Floral Nain, cream white with border and medallion

Origin	Pakistan
Dimensions	208 cm x 135 cm (= 2.808 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	450.000
Pile height	7mm
Year of manufacture	2025
Colour	Cream White, Dark 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.

The rugs from Nain owe their unmistakable patterns and colour combinations above all to the master weaver Hadj Fatollah Habibian Naiini. He limited himself to fewer than ten colours at the loom and so laid the foundation for the colour composition of the Nain rugs that are still 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 contours are accentuated with silk are typical. Thanks to their understated elegance and restraint to just a few shades, Nain rugs also sit beautifully in modern interiors.

Nain rugs are graded in four quality levels, given in Lah (the Persian word for layer). Lah describes the number of threads twisted together to form the warp. The more threads are used, the thicker the warp and thus the knots, and the lower the knot density. This piece is what is known as a Nain 9LA.

Pattern

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

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.

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.

The background of this Nain is cream white. The border is worked in cream white and dark blue. At the centre, cream white and dark blue are combined.

Material

The pile of this Nain 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 whole range of impressive properties: thanks to the natural lanolin content of the wool, the surface repels drops of water and is naturally protected against dirt. Wool also offers excellent thermal insulation, helps to regulate the indoor climate and absorbs sound. The weft and warp threads of this Nain are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic, which makes it particularly well suited to a hard-wearing foundation.