Doe and Hope

Description

The Hamadan rug having a scarlet red and royal blue outer alternating ground with a cream ground column shaped central field with typical central diamond shaped medallion surrounded by a field of contrasting colour from which are set off the triangular shaped corners, the whole with tassel fringes survives from the first quarter of the twentieth century.

This piece is beautifully worn, commensurate with its age. There have been a couple of small repairs. The fringes do show some loss and the shape is now slightly warped but the whole has an abundance of character and has no signs of moth or infestation. We love our rugs like this so please do not buy if you are after perfection.

Hamadan has always been an important centre of the carpet industry and though carpets have been produced there for centuries, not all those described as Hamadans come from the city itself but from the surrounding districts. The older Hamadan carpets were coloured exclusively with vegetable dyes, but in the city itself, since the 1880s, the industry has gradually adopted the use of analine colours. Most of the smaller sizes of carpets and rugs, like this piece, are produced in the surrounding districts which is understandable as the nomads would experience little difficulty in transporting the small looms required. The older Hamadans are characterized by patterns in different shades of the same colour, as we see here with several different shades of madder reds and roses.

A lovely warm rug, nigh on antique, that would add instant charm to a small space.