 These
rugs originate from the ancient city of Tabriz, located in northwestern
Iran. Tabriz is the largest producer of handmade Persian wool rugs in
the world. This extremely prolific city has enjoyed a wonderful
reputation as a center of Oriental culture for centuries. Although rug
weaving here can be traced back to the 15th century, it was during
the Middle Ages that the weavers of wool rugs began to be influenced by
the work of manuscript illuminators, silk embroiderers, miniature
painters, and metal workers. Curvilinear designs on wool rugs were
first introduced to the courts in Istanbul by weavers. In
the mid 19th century the city established itself as the market center for
the exportation of Persian wool rugs to the west. Rugs are
double wefted and the Turkish knot is dominant, although both Turkish
and Persian knots are used.
The rugs are characterized by their curvilinear patterns including
medallions, hunting patterns, prayer, and pictorial rugs. They are
famous for their wide range of patterns and styles, such as the famous
'Mahi' which is reputed to be one of the most elegant designs. Rugs typically feature dense floral patterns filled with palmettes,
vases, and other garden elements in dark red or dark blue with
contrasting shades of white or ivory.
The warps and wefts of the rugs are cotton and are mostly undyed,
although occasionally the wefts may be either pale blue or light gray.
Medium quality rugs are made with cotton foundation and pure
wool pile. The finer rugs often feature a pure silk foundation
with a combination wool and silk pile and can have a density of up to
800 KPSI (knots per square inch). The majority of them are mid-size to
large. Although truly exceptional rugs have been sold at auction
for well over a million dollars, there are many wonderful rugs
that are extraordinarily beautiful and very affordable.
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