8'4" x 11'8" Persian Heriz Rug | Red Field Geometric Medallion | Semi-Antique, Excellent Condition

This is a semi-antique Persian Heriz in a true room size, 8'4" x 11'8", hand-knotted in wool on a cotton foundation with a 3/8" pile that still stands up firm and even across the whole field. The drawing is classic village Heriz: one broad geometric medallion anchored in the center, ivory corner spandrels stepping into the field, and a deep graphite black main border carrying palmettes and leaf forms end to end. Decades of use have softened the reds into the mellow, slightly variegated tone that collectors look for and that no new rug can imitate, while the wool itself remains dense and unworn. It is a practical piece as well as a handsome one, an easy fit among large Persian rugs for a main living space. A certificate of authenticity is included with purchase.

Design and Motifs

The center holds a large 8 petal rosette medallion built in stacked lobes, its core drawn in ivory and soft rose with a small dark ring at the exact middle, then framed by black and olive outlines that push the whole motif forward off the red ground. Radiating from it are angular leaf pendants, hooked vines and small blossom heads, all drawn with the straight lines and stepped diagonals that separate Heriz work from the curvilinear city weaves. The 4 corners carry generous ivory spandrels filled with palmettes, tendrils and tiny geometric flower heads, and the field between medallion and corners is packed with serrated vinework rather than left open. A graphite black main border runs the full perimeter with alternating palmettes and rosettes, flanked by narrow guard stripes in red, ivory and a running sawtooth line. It is a disciplined, confident piece of drawing and a strong example of geometric Persian rugs.

Color and Patina

Red is the governing color, but it is not one flat red. The field moves between a warm brick tone, a deeper madder crimson in the shaded areas and lighter rose passages where the hand-spun wool took the dye differently, which is exactly the abrash that gives an older Heriz its depth. Ivory does the heavy lifting as contrast, in the corner spandrels, the medallion core and the thin outline that traces the main border, so the layout reads clearly from across a room. Graphite black fills the main border and shadows the medallion lobes, and it holds enough blue in it that the tone shifts toward deep navy in daylight. Scattered through the vinework are quiet accents of slate blue, olive green, soft camel and salmon pink, small in area but enough to keep the palette warm rather than severe. The overall effect is rich and lived-in, forgiving with furniture and easy beside both dark wood and pale floors.

Heriz Origin and Weaving Quality

Heriz is a cluster of villages east of Tabriz in northwest Persia, sitting below Mount Sabalan, and the reputation of the weave comes as much from the land as from the loom. The mineral-rich water in that district produces famously tough, high-tensile wool, which is why Heriz rugs are the ones that survive generations of family traffic while finer city pieces are retired to the study. Weavers there work from memory and from village drawings rather than a detailed cartoon, which is what gives the medallion its slight asymmetry and the borders their handmade rhythm. Village Heriz work usually sits under 200 knots per square inch by design, since the weight of the knot and the thickness of the pile matter more here than fineness, and this rug shows that priority clearly: a firm handle, a straight lie on the floor, and a 3/8" pile with plenty of life left after its first several decades of service.