3'8" x 5'3" Persian Ghazvin Rug | Tabriz Medallion Design | 1940s Antique Wool

A 1940s Ghazvin woven in the northwest Persian manner, this piece has the quiet authority that only comes with age: a camel beige field, a rust red medallion drawn with real precision, and wool that has gone slightly glossy from decades of gentle use. At 3'8" x 5'3" it sits in the most useful of the small Persian rug sizes, large enough to anchor a bedside, a reading chair or an entry, small enough to move with you. The pile is low and even, the sides and ends are original and sound, and the back reads clean and regular from corner to corner. Every rug we ship carries a certificate of authenticity documenting origin, age, materials and knot construction.

Design and Motifs

The drawing follows the classic curvilinear formula of Persian Tabriz rugs: a lobed central medallion with a small pendant at each end, ivory cornerpieces filling the 4 corners, and a field of scrolling arabesque vine that ties the two together instead of simply surrounding them. Inside the medallion sits an 8 petal rosette on a soft olive ground, ringed with paired heart shapes and small star rosettes. The open field carries palmettes, lotus heads and serrated leaves, with large cloud band scrolls sweeping out of the spandrels toward the border. The main border is a brown ground band of alternating palmettes and rosettes joined by a thin vine, framed by coral guard stripes and an outer meander of small linked motifs. Nothing in the layout is crowded; the weaver left enough beige ground visible for each element to be read on its own.

The Beige, Rust and Coral Palette

The field is a warm camel beige that shifts toward sand in daylight and toward honey under lamplight. Against it the medallion reads rust red, softened over 80 years to something closer to old brick than to fire engine. Terracotta carries the inner border and the cornerpiece outlines, while the main border sits on a deeper brown that grounds the whole rug. The flowers are the quiet pleasure here: coral and faded rose blossoms, ivory petals, small olive green leaves, and occasional pinpoints of yellow gold in the guard stripes that only show up close. There is no navy and no black to break the warmth, which is why this one sits so easily with oak floors, cream plaster, leather and brass. Cool grey rooms get a welcome dose of warmth from it rather than a fight.

Ghazvin and the Northwest Persian Weaving Tradition

Ghazvin, often spelled Qazvin, lies on the road between Tehran and Tabriz and served as the Safavid capital in the 16th century before the court moved south. Its workshops absorbed the northwest drawing tradition, and weavers there worked cartoons in the Tabriz manner on a cotton foundation with tightly spun local wool. This rug shows exactly that training: curved lines that stay curved, borders that turn the corner cleanly instead of being cut off, and a knot count high enough to render a lotus head no bigger than a thumbnail. The back is even and legible, the selvages are original, and the pile has worn down to a low, silky surface without losing definition. If you want to place its era accurately, our guide on how to date an oriental rug walks through the same clues we used on this one.