Sarough | 156 x 102 cm | Nr. Z-4232

Floral Sarough, light red with border and medallion

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	156 cm x 102 cm (= 1.5912 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	360.000
Pile height	8mm
Year of manufacture	1940
Colour	Light red, dark blue
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

This rug comes from Sarough (also spelled Sarouk, Saruk or Sarogh). Sarough is one of the best-known rug-knotting regions in Iran. Located in the western Persian province of Aarak, it takes in the provenances Arak, Djozan, Ghiasabad, Mahal, Malayer, Mohajeran, Sultanabad and Wiss. Persian patterns of every kind are knotted in Sarough, in some cases to the buyer's own specifications. Weavers there are especially fond of the neighbouring Farahan designs, of their own Sultanabad patterns and of the so-called Mir-i-Boteh pattern made up of paisley motifs. Typical of this type of rug is the very good wool quality of the pile, as the new wool comes from the Persian highlands. The foundation – warp and weft – is, however, usually made of cotton. In old and antique rugs you will often find a blue weft thread. The knotting is very fine and the pile relatively high.

Pattern

The ornate border forms a wonderful contrast with the centre and shapes the transition at the edge of the rug.

The lavish floral motifs of this Sarough are elegant and wonderfully varied. The graceful plant symbols, depicting blossoms, leaves and branches, are artfully intertwined.

At the heart of this Sarough's central field lies the symmetrical centrepiece, also known as the medallion. The design of the field is subordinate to the medallion, so that the medallion seems to float on the field.

The background of this Sarough is dark blue. The overall impression is also dominated by light red and dark blue. The border is worked in dark blue, blue-grey and multicoloured tones.

Condition

This Sarough already had admirers before you. It was hand-knotted around 1940. It has been thoroughly cleaned and is in good, though only partly restored, condition. The fringes could do with a repair. The sides are damaged in places. We have not fully restored this Sarough because we feel it has a special presence just as it is. If that's what you'd like, we'll gladly take the restoration further for you. We can bring almost any rug back to near-perfect condition.

Material

The pile of this Sarough was hand-knotted from high-quality new wool. New wool is obtained by gently shearing sheep. New wool is a renewable, natural raw material with a number of impressive properties: thanks to the wool's natural lanolin content, the surface repels droplets of water and is thus naturally protected against dirt. Wool also offers excellent thermal insulation, helps regulate the indoor climate and dampens sound. The weft and warp threads of this Sarough are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic and therefore particularly well suited to a hard-wearing foundation.