8' x 10'5" Wool and Silk Oriental Rug | Mahi Herati Fish Design | Silk Foundation

This 8' x 10'5" Oriental rug is hand-knotted in wool and silk on a silk foundation, and it belongs to the small group of pieces that reward close inspection more than a quick glance across a room. From standing height the field reads as a single deep burgundy plane; kneel down and it breaks into thousands of tiny rosettes, leaf pairs and turquoise stars set in a diamond lattice. The silk foundation keeps the drawing crisp and the handle supple, and the silk mixed into the pile catches light on the pale motifs so the surface shifts as you walk past it. Condition is perfect, with full pile, even selvedges and clean ivory fringe at both ends. Every rug we ship travels with a certificate of authenticity confirming that it is genuinely hand-knotted.

Design and Motifs

The field carries the Mahi Herati pattern, known as the fish design: a fine diamond lattice with a rosette at each intersection, flanked by 4 curved lanceolate leaves that read as fish circling a pool. It is repeated without interruption from end to end, a true all-over design with no medallion and no open ground, which is why the pattern absorbs furniture legs and foot traffic so gracefully. Each lattice cell is filled differently, alternating pale green palmettes, coral rosettes, ivory blossoms and small navy and turquoise stars, so the repeat never looks mechanical. Surrounding it is a 5 band border system: 2 slim gold and ivory guard stripes of running vine, a narrow reciprocal barber-pole stripe, and a wide burgundy main border of alternating shield cartouches and open palmettes joined by an olive green vine. The corners are resolved cleanly, with the main border motifs turning the angle without being cut or crowded.

A Palette of Burgundy Rust, Green, Brown and Blue

The ground is a burgundy rust that leans brick red where the light hits the pile head on and drops into a deep brown-red where the nap runs away from you. Against it the lattice is drawn in olive brown and dark navy, which gives the field its structure and keeps the reds from going flat. The filler motifs supply the color: soft sage and celadon green rosettes, salmon and coral blossoms, cream and ivory flowerheads, and small bright accents in sky blue, cobalt and lemon yellow that flicker across the surface. The borders shift the balance, with a cooler raspberry burgundy in the main band carrying olive vinework, pink, rose and teal petals, while the gold and ivory guard stripes frame everything in warm light. The outer edge finishes in a clear red selvedge and natural ivory fringe. It is a warm, saturated, traditional palette that sits well with dark wood, leather, brass and cream walls, and it is forgiving of everyday use in a busy room.

Weaving Quality and Origin

This piece was hand-knotted in Pakistan, where workshops weave classic city patterns to a high standard, and it follows the Tabriz Mahi drawing faithfully: tight lattice geometry, small-scale motifs and disciplined border resolution. The silk foundation is what makes that detail possible, since silk warps and wefts are thinner and stronger than cotton and allow a higher knot count across the same width, which is why the tiny rosettes stay legible rather than blurring. The wool pile is clipped low and even so nothing is lost, and the silk blended through the pile adds a quiet sheen on the lighter motifs. The back shows a fine, regular knot face with no bulges or slack areas, and the rug lies flat and square. At 8' x 10'5" it sits in the most useful format in the house, and it can be compared directly against our other 8x10 area rugs for scale.