8' x 10' Serapi Oriental Rug | Rust Field, Black Medallion | New, Made in India

This is a new, never used Serapi hand-knotted entirely by hand in fine wool on a cotton foundation, and it is the kind of piece that looks settled in a room from the first day. The field is a warm rust that carries light salmon movement through the weave, the medallion is a deep black with ivory and olive drawing inside it, and the whole composition is held by a rosette border of the same rust tone. At 8 feet by 10 feet it is the most useable of all the 8x10 Oriental rugs we stock, large enough to sit under a sofa group or a 6 seat table without crowding the walls. Every rug we ship leaves with a certificate of authenticity stating the origin, materials and hand-knotted construction.

Design and Motifs

The drawing follows the classic Serapi layout. At dead center sits a small rust square framed in ivory with an 8 petal rosette inside it, surrounded by a pale grey green panel carrying slender stems, hooked scrolls and tiny cypress sprigs. That panel is wrapped by a black stepped medallion with 4 lobed arms, each arm filled with olive leaf forms and small rust cartouches. Four black cornerpieces mirror the medallion across the diagonals, drawn with large serrated leaves and vine turns, and the open rust ground between them is scattered with small olive and ivory blossoms, hooked sprigs, and little ivory panels holding stylized vessel and figure motifs that reward a close look. The main border runs a chain of olive and ivory rosettes alternating with pale blue green hexagonal cartouches, bracketed by ivory guard stripes with running vine. All of it is angular, straight lined and confidently spaced, which is exactly why geometric medallion rugs in this family wear so well in real rooms.

The Rust, Black and Olive Palette

The dominant color is rust, read as a soft terracotta with a clear salmon cast where the light catches the pile, and it shifts gently from one band of weaving to the next rather than sitting flat. Against it the medallion and spandrels are a near black with a cold navy undertone, which is what gives the rug its contrast and keeps the warm field from reading as pink. The third color is olive, used in two weights: a dry khaki olive on the leaves and border rosettes, and a brighter mustard gold in the medallion arms and vine outlines. Ivory and a pale blue grey do the fine work, outlining the medallion steps, the guard stripes and the small cartouches, and a few touches of brick red appear in the inner rosette. The result is a mid tone, low glare palette that works with wood floors, leather, brass and cream walls, and it places this piece squarely among rust and orange rugs for buyers who want warmth without a loud red.

Made in India: Weave and Quality

This rug was hand-knotted in India, and that is a credit rather than a caveat: India is where most of the world's best contemporary hand-knotted work is now made, with the strongest workshops reviving old village drawings in high grade wool. The knot count here is high enough to hold the fine outlines on the medallion steps and the small vessel motifs without blurring them, and the wool is spun with enough lanolin that the pile has a quiet sheen in the close photos. The back shows an even, tightly packed weave with clean selvedges and hand-tied cotton fringe at both ends, and the pile is a medium height that will take traffic in a living or dining room for decades. If you are weighing this against other weaving traditions, our guide to what separates a Persian piece from a broader Oriental rug is worth 5 minutes, and you can see the rest of our hand-knotted Oriental rugs alongside it.