6'10" x 7'4" Persian Sarouk Rug | Cream Floral Lattice Square | 1990s Excellent Condition

This is one of the harder pieces to find in good condition: a square-format Sarouk woven in the 1990s, measuring 6'10" x 7'4", with a cream field that has not been overdyed or washed thin. The pile is a full 3/8" of hand-spun wool on a cotton foundation, and the handle is firm and heavy for its size, exactly what you expect from a well made Persian Sarouk rug from the Arak weaving district. The selvages are intact, the ends are secure, and the back reads evenly across the whole surface with no repairs. Because the width and length are so close together, it belongs with the square Persian rugs, which is the right answer for a round dining table or a cube shaped sitting area where a standard 6x9 would read lopsided. Every rug we ship carries our certificate of authenticity confirming origin, material and hand-knotted construction.

Design and Motifs

The field is drawn as an ogee lattice, a continuous net of pointed cartouches outlined in a single dark line, and each compartment is filled with its own floral bouquet. Look closely in the detail photographs and you can count the vocabulary: 8 petal rosettes, serrated acanthus leaves, small blue cornflowers, pomegranate buds and curling vine tips, all drawn with the slightly plump, rounded floral style that distinguishes Sarouk work from the tighter city weaves. There is no formal medallion. Instead the weaver placed a larger, denser diamond shaped cluster at the center so the eye still has an anchor, with the lattice radiating out from it to all 4 corners. The border system runs 3 bands: a wide burgundy main border carrying alternating rosettes and leaf sprays, flanked by teal guard borders with a meandering vine, then a narrow dark outer stripe with a repeating ivory zigzag, visible in the close-up of the edge finish.

Color Palette in Detail

The ground is a warm cream, closer to unbleached wool than to a bright white, and it shifts slightly toward pale beige where the light crosses the pile. Against it the drawing is carried in burgundy and a deeper oxblood red, navy blue that reads almost black in the shaded photographs, and a distinct slate teal that appears both in the guard borders and in the small flower heads inside the lattice. Secondary tones include soft rose and salmon on the larger blossoms, an olive brown on the leaf work, and ivory outlining that keeps each bouquet legible against the cream. The main border is the single strongest block of color in the rug, a brick toned burgundy that frames the pale field and gives the piece its weight. Nothing here is harsh or synthetic looking: the reds have mellowed, the teal has a gray cast, and the overall effect is a light, airy rug with traditional depth rather than a dark formal one.

Sarouk Origin and Weaving Quality

Sarouk is a village in the Arak region of central Persia, and for more than a century its weavers have supplied the American market with the sturdiest of the Persian floral rugs. The formula is specific: a cotton warp and weft beaten down hard, a dense Persian knot, and a heavier clip than the fine city workshops use, which is why a Sarouk of 3/8" pile outlives rugs with twice the knot count. Wool from the Markazi highlands is springy and takes dye well, so the color stays saturated deep into the yarn rather than sitting on the surface. On this piece the knotting is regular enough to carry the curved lattice line cleanly through every compartment, the lattice spacing holds true from end to end, and the back shows tight, even rows with no slack areas. For a 1990s weaving it has been remarkably well kept, with full even pile and no visible wear in the field or along the borders.