8' x 11' Semi Antique Persian Rug | Red and Ivory Floral Medallion | Hand-Knotted Wool

This is an estate piece: a semi antique Persian rug measuring 8' x 11', hand-knotted in wool on a cotton foundation and finished with a 3/8" pile that still stands up cleanly across the whole field. The drawing is the classic town formula, a lobed floral medallion set on an open rose-red ground, ivory corner spandrels, and a wide ivory main border carrying palmettes and lotus heads. It reads as a formal rug without feeling heavy, largely because so much of the field is left plain. Condition is good and honest for its age, with the soft patina that only comes from decades of settled wool. Every rug we ship carries a certificate of authenticity, and the label photographed at the edge is our own authentication tag.

Design and Motifs

The center holds a lobed 8 petal medallion built up in layers: a small rosette at the core, a ring of ivory and rose blossoms around it, then a scalloped outline in sage and teal that steps out into the field. Above and below the medallion, tall palmette finials rise on curved stems with feathery leaves and clustered flower heads, so the composition is anchored along the long axis rather than floating. The 4 corners carry matching sprays with a shield-shaped palmette at the center of each, drawn in the same ivory, sage and brown palette so the corners tie back to the medallion. Everything between is left as open ground, which is what gives the rug its calm. The main ivory border runs a continuous vine of lotus palmettes, tulip-form blossoms and scrolling brown leaf hooks, framed on both sides by narrow teal-blue guard stripes of small rosettes. The curvilinear drawing, with its flowing vine work and rounded petal outlines, is workshop drafting rather than village improvisation, and the repeat holds its rhythm evenly down the full 11' length.

The Color Story in Depth

The field is a deep rose-red, cooler and more cherry than a brick or tomato red, and it shifts gently between light and shade as the pile direction changes, which is the natural abrash of wool dyed in small lots. Against it, the ivory border is a warm buttery cream rather than a bleached white, closer to old parchment, with visible variation from panel to panel. The medallion works through a narrow band of softened tones: dusty sage green, olive brown, tan, and a mid teal blue that turns almost petrol in the close-up. Rose pink and salmon carry the small flower heads, with chalky ivory used for the individual petals so they read clearly from standing height. Dark brown to near-black outlining separates every motif, and that outlining is what keeps a busy medallion legible on a strong red ground. Small hits of clear blue appear in the guard stripe rosettes and inside the border blossoms. The overall effect is a red and ivory rug with muted jewel-tone accents, easy to live with alongside cream walls, walnut furniture or aged leather, and forgiving of traffic because the field tone hides so much.

Persian Origin and Weaving Quality

This rug was hand-knotted in Persia, and the design belongs to the northwest town tradition associated with Tabriz rugs, where a designer draws the medallion and border on graph paper and the weavers follow the cartoon knot by knot. That is why the corners resolve symmetrically and the border vine turns cleanly at each end. The back photograph shows a tight, even cotton grid with no lumps or crowding, and the knot count is consistent from selvedge to selvedge, which points to experienced hands working a single loom over many months. The wool is the real asset here: springy, lustrous, and still dense at 3/8" after decades, the kind of fleece that polishes rather than dulls underfoot. If you want to understand what the wear pattern and dye behavior tell you about a piece like this, our guide on how to date an Oriental rug walks through the same clues we use. At this scale it sits naturally under a seating group or a dining table, and you can compare it against our other 8x11 Persian rugs before you decide.