6'9" x 9'9" Persian Kashan Rug | Classic Floral Medallion | Semi-Antique 1980s Wool

This is the textbook version of the formula that made Persian Kashan rugs the most recognized floor covering in the Western world: a deep red field, a lobed medallion in ivory and blue, and ivory spandrels turning the 4 corners. Woven in the 1980's with a wool pile on a cotton foundation, it has clearly been cared for, with a full even pile, straight sides and clean cotton fringe at both ends. At 6'9" x 9'9" it sits squarely in the most useful room size there is, so it works as a seating area rug or under a 6 seat dining table without the drop or crowding you get from a true 9x12. Like every rug we import, it ships with a certificate of authenticity, and it is a strong entry point if you have been comparing 7x10 Persian rugs across origins.

Design and Motifs

The center holds a small diamond medallion with an ivory ground and a sky blue rosette core, ringed by an indigo cartouche band and finished top and bottom with stepped pendant finials. Around it the field is drawn as a dense curvilinear garden: Shah Abbasi palmettes, 8 petal rosettes, lanceolate leaves and fine arabesque vinescrolls that mirror perfectly across both axes, a sign the weaver followed a properly resolved workshop cartoon rather than improvising. The ivory corner spandrels carry the same vocabulary at larger scale, which gives the eye somewhere to rest against all that pattern. The main border is a wide indigo band of alternating palmettes and vase like blossoms, flanked by reciprocal guard stripes in ivory and pale blue and closed with a narrow red outer edge. Every element repeats on a tight rhythm, so the rug reads as formal and resolved rather than busy.

Color: Crimson Field Against Indigo and Ivory

The field is a clear crimson with a raspberry lean to it, brighter and cooler than the brick reds of village weaving, and it holds that tone evenly from one end to the other with only the gentle luster change you expect from a hand-knotted wool pile viewed with and against the nap. Against it the main border reads as a very dark indigo that goes almost aubergine in low light, giving the pattern its weight and frame. The drawing itself is carried in ivory and warm cream outlines, with sky blue and slate blue florals, soft gold and olive green leaves, rose pink blossoms and small touches of chocolate brown. The ivory medallion and spandrels are the only large areas of light color, so they act as the design's punctuation. If you are shopping the red and burgundy Persian rugs for a room with cream walls or dark wood, this palette is the easiest of them to live with.

Kashan Origin and Weaving Quality

Kashan lies in central Persia, north of Isfahan, and its looms trace back to the Safavid court workshops, where the medallion and spandrel layout was first standardized. The town's reputation rests on 2 things: soft lustrous local wool that takes dye deeply and holds a sheen for decades, and a knot fine enough to draw a curved line without breaking it into steps. Both are visible here. The back shows a tight, regular knot on a cotton warp with no pulled rows or crowding at the ends, and the detail photo with the ruler shows how many knots fit across a single inch of width. It is the same design you see on the floor when you watch Shark Tank, which is why this layout has become shorthand for a formal Persian rug. For a 1980's workshop piece in perfect condition, the combination of correct drawing, honest wool and a usable room size is exactly what makes a Kashan worth owning long term.