7'9" x 9'9" Mahi Tabriz Design Rug | Wool & Silk Fish Pattern | Black Field, Brand New

This is the Mahi, or fish, pattern done properly: a jet black field packed edge to edge with tiny diamond lattice work, a layered oval medallion floating at dead center, and four beige corner spandrels that frame the whole composition. It is hand-knotted in wool with silk highlights over a cotton foundation, and at 7'9" x 9'9" it sits squarely in the most useful 8x10 footprint a main room can take. This is a brand new piece that has never been on a floor, the pile is full, the fringe is untouched, and every rug leaves us with a certificate of authenticity that records the weave, materials and measurements. Anyone comparing this to the wider category of hand-knotted work will find the background in our guide to what separates a Persian rug from a broader Oriental rug, which is worth reading before you buy.

Design and Motifs

The Mahi layout is built from one repeating unit, a small diamond holding a rosette with 4 curved fish shaped leaves swimming around it, and the drawing lives or dies on how small and how even that unit stays. Here it is tight and perfectly regular across the entire black ground, which is why the field reads as texture rather than as separate motifs. The medallion is drawn in 3 nested stages, an inner lozenge, a scalloped oval, and an outer serrated ring finished with a fine black outline, with matching pendants above and below and quarter medallions cut into the spandrels. The main border carries alternating palmettes and cartouche rosettes on a black ground, flanked by guard stripes of upright boteh droplets on beige, and the outermost bands step down in width so the eye is walked in toward the center instead of stopping at the edge.

Black Ground with Beige, Brown and Olive Green

The field is a true deep black, not a navy passing for black, and it is what gives this rug its weight in a room. Against it the spandrels and medallion run in a warm beige that leans toward salmon and soft clay where the silk catches light, shifting a shade or two depending on where you stand. Inside the medallion the palette opens up: olive green leaves, brick red and burgundy florets, walnut brown vinework and small chalk ivory buds that read as points of light on the darker ground. The border repeats the same beige, brown and olive relationship on black, with thin red outlines keeping each element crisp. The silk is used sparingly and intelligently, concentrated in the medallion and the floral heads, so the rug sheens in those places and stays matte in the wool field. Practically, the black ground hides traffic well and the beige keeps the overall effect warm rather than severe.

Made in India: Weaving and Quality

India is where most of the world's best contemporary hand-knotted weaving is now done, and this rug is a clear example of why. The workshops that produce this quality of Mahi work on cotton warps with a dense knot count, clip the pile low so the fine lattice stays legible, and finish the selvedges and fringe by hand, all of which shows in the back photo where the knot rows are straight and evenly packed. A low even clip is the only way this pattern works, because a shaggy pile blurs the fish leaves into mush. If you are shopping the standard 8x10 rug size, this piece gives you a formal, finely drawn traditional design with modern production consistency and no restoration history to consider.