7' x 10' Persian Bijar Rug | Wool | Navy Blue

A 7' x 10' rectangular carpet knotted in Persia, with a wool pile of 3/8" and an all-over Bijar drawing. At a few paces it reads as a dark, densely worked field with pale coral tracery running through it and a clear red border holding the whole thing square. Close up, the field resolves into small roses, buds and serrated leaves packed tight against the ground, one of the more crowded all-over patterns among hand-knotted rugs of this size.

Design

The field carries staggered rows of long, flat-topped cartouches outlined in coral, set in threes and pairs and linked by thin stems that branch into flowering sprays. Between them sit rosettes, tulip-like buds, cream blossoms and dark green leaves, drawn small and repeated without a central medallion, so the pattern simply continues to the edge and is cut by the border. The main border runs a repeating sequence of large palmettes and feathery leaf sprays on a red ground, with the corners resolved by a single open flower head. On either side of it, narrow guard stripes on a blue-green ground carry cream four-petal blossoms between small triangles, and a plain navy outer edge finishes the rug above the ivory fringe.

Colour

The ground is a navy blue deep enough to look near black where the pile falls away from the light, and it does most of the work: everything else is laid on top of it in small quantities. The coral outlines and stems are the brightest note, a soft salmon that lifts the field without competing with the border. That border is a clear red leaning towards rose, cooled by the blue-green guard bands on each side. Cream and beige fill the flower heads, with light blue rosettes, muted green leaves and a brown that shows mostly in the stems and in parts of the border scrollwork.

Making

Hand-knotted in Persia, with a 3/8" wool pile on an all-over Bijar pattern. The table dates it to the 2000s and records the condition as excellent, which matches the photographs: the pile stands evenly across the field, the selvedges are intact and the ivory fringe at both ends is full and clean.