11'2" x 14'2" Antique Persian Mahal Rug | Navy All-Over Floral Field | Rose Border, Excellent Condition

Deep, quiet blue across 134" x 170" of floor: this 11'2" x 14'2" Persian Mahal is village weaving at the scale most collectors want and rarely find in good order. The navy field carries an all-over floral drawing from selvedge to selvedge with no central medallion, framed by a rose-red main border that has mellowed to a soft, slightly dusty tone. The pile is hand-spun wool on a cotton foundation, low and even underfoot, with the dry, matte luster that old Sultanabad-district fleece develops after decades of honest use. At this width it belongs with the oversize Persian rugs, and like every piece we import it ships with a certificate of authenticity confirming it is 100% hand-knotted in Persia.

Design and Motifs

The field is a true all-over floral design, built from a repeating lattice of curling vines that link cream and sage palmettes, 8 petal rosettes, serrated leaves, small boteh paisleys and lobed cartouche-shaped blossoms. The drawing mirrors along the long axis, so each half of the rug answers the other while individual flowers vary in color, which is exactly how a hand-drawn village pattern behaves. Weavers filled the gaps with tiny 4 petal florets and hooked tendrils, and the closeups show one clear rose-outlined cartouche at the center of the repeat holding a cream rosette. Three frames surround the field: an ivory and sage inner guard of running vine, the broad rose main border alternating large palmettes with leafy sprays and pale medallions, and an outer navy and sage stripe carrying a running Greek key meander that finishes cleanly at all 4 corners.

The Navy, Rose and Sage Palette

The ground is a saturated indigo navy that reads almost black in low light and opens to true blue where the sun hits it, with gentle abrash banding across the width that proves small-lot dye pots rather than industrial dye. Against it the ornament is drawn in rose and salmon pink, soft sage and celadon green, chalky ivory, warm cream and occasional oxblood and pale sky-blue accents, a restrained palette that keeps the busy field calm. The rose-red main border has aged to a dusty antique tone with a faint terracotta cast, and the ivory guard stripes have taken on a putty warmth that softens the contrast between border and field. If you are working from a dark, cool base, this sits with the best navy blue Persian rugs while the pink border keeps it from turning heavy.

Mahal Origin and Weaving Quality

Mahal rugs come from the villages of the Sultanabad district around Arak in west-central Persia, the region that supplied the Western market with its most usable large room rugs from the late 19th century onward. The weave is deliberately not a city weave: a sturdy cotton warp and weft, a medium knot count, and pattern drawn large enough to stay legible across 14 feet, which is why a well-made Mahal wears for generations instead of showing every footstep. The back photograph shows straight, regular rows and tight lines of knotting with no bunching or crooked selvedge, and the ends are secured with the original navy and rose finishing and full ivory fringe. The result is a heavy, flat-lying rug of real village character, honest in its irregularities and built to be walked on, which is the whole appeal of good Persian Mahal rugs.