Yazd | 350 x 220 cm | Nr. 19161

Floral Yazd, dark red with border and medallion

Origin

Yazd (also spelled Yasd) lies in central Iran on the southern edge of the Dasht-e Kavir, the Great Salt Desert, and is the capital of the province of the same name in the south-east of the country. Yazd is one of Iran's oldest cities. The oasis city, built largely from mud brick, has existed since the third millennium BC. Its unique architecture has earned it a place on the World Heritage list. Around 500,000 people live here today.

Originally Yazd rugs had a bluish pattern, which gradually faded away as production grew. Because demand was so great, the workshops there drew more and more on the patterns and colours of Kerman rugs, so that Yazd and Kerman rugs are sometimes hard to tell apart today. Matters are made even trickier by the fact that rugs with Keshan patterns were also made in Yazd.

Pattern

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

The decorated surround (border) forms a beautiful contrast to the centre and shapes the transition at the edge of the rug.

At the middle of this Yazd's central field lies the symmetrical centrepiece, 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 surface of this Yazd has a mottled look. The shifts in tone and the light-and-dark shading of the pile yarn make the colours shimmer and keep the rug forgiving of dirt. These colour shifts, known as abrash, give the rug a livelier feel. The mottling occurs because the wool of this Yazd was hand-spun. During dyeing, the natural pigments are absorbed to differing degrees.

The background of this Yazd is dark red. The border is worked in dark red, blue-grey and beige. In the silver-grey centre, beige and olive green are combined.

Condition

You're not the first to take a liking to this Yazd. It had owners before you who valued and used it. It was hand-knotted around 1960. It has been thoroughly cleaned and is in good but unrestored condition. The pile has grown a little thinner over the years. The edges and fringes of the rug are damaged in places and could do with a repair. We haven't restored this Yazd because we feel it has a special charm just as it is. If that's what you'd like, we'll of course be happy to restore the rug for you. Either way, this Yazd will give you pleasure for decades to come.

Material

The pile of this Yazd 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 range of impressive qualities: thanks to the wool's natural lanolin content, the surface repels droplets of water and is therefore 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 Yazd are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic, which makes it particularly well suited to a hard-wearing foundation weave.