9'11" x 13'9" Persian Khorasan Rug | Ivory Floral Vase & Bouquet Field | Woven Signature

This is a decorative Khorasan floral in a size that is genuinely hard to find in ivory, and it photographs exactly as it looks on the floor. The field is a warm cream, almost undyed in tone, and across it the weaver has drawn standing vases, tied bouquets and ribbon bows in rose red, sky blue and soft gold, with a leafy vine wreath enclosing the center. The pile is 3/8" wool on a cotton foundation, still full and even across all 4 corners, and the border carries a woven signature in Persian script (visible in the close-up photograph). At 9'11" x 13'9" it belongs with the 10x14 Persian rugs that cover a full formal room wall to wall, and like every rug we import it ships with a certificate of authenticity confirming it is hand-knotted in Persia.

Design and Motifs

The drawing here is the European influenced Persian floral style rather than classical court geometry, and it rewards a close look. A long oval of brown scrolling vine floats in the middle of the field, and inside it sits a small 8 petal rosette worked in gold, navy and rose, flanked by paired bracket scrolls that curl like iron work. Outside the wreath the weaver has placed an all over floral arrangement of footed vases, covered urns, flower baskets and cut bouquets tied with wide ribbon bows, each group drawn slightly differently rather than stamped from one repeat. Cabbage roses, tulips, carnations and tiny 5 petal blossoms fill the gaps, with curling acanthus leaves in brown and caramel linking one bouquet to the next. The field is framed by a thin navy guard stripe, then a plain border, then a meandering ribbon and blossom vine that runs all the way around. There is no heavy main border and no central medallion, which keeps the whole 13'9" length feeling open and light.

A Study in Ivory, Rose and Blue

The ground is a warm ivory with a faint buttery cast, the kind of cream that reads soft rather than stark white, and it carries a gentle lustre where the light crosses the pile. Against it the reds do the loudest work: a clear rose red in the open roses, a deeper brick in the folded petals, and a dusty pink in the half open buds. The blues are the real pleasure, running from a pale powder blue in the ribbon bows through mid cornflower to a near black navy in the small blossom clusters and the guard stripes. Soft gold and caramel carry the vines, urn bodies and the rosette palmette, with small touches of sage and bottle green in the leaves and stems. The surrounding border and outer frame read as a soft taupe or mushroom tone, which cools the whole piece down and keeps the florals from turning sweet. Put together, the palette sits comfortably with cream plaster, oak floors and antique brown furniture, and the ivory ground brightens a room with limited natural light.

Khorasan: Weaving in Northeast Persia

Khorasan is the far northeast province of Persia, and it is one of the oldest continuous weaving regions in the country. The province is also home to the city that gives its name to Persian Mashad rugs, and Khorasan workshops share that tradition of large room size floral pieces with curved drawing and a dense, deep clipped wool pile. The wool from this region is long stapled and takes dye beautifully, which is why the rose reds and powder blues here still look saturated rather than chalky. A weaver who signs his work in the border is making a statement about the piece, and the even selvedges, the consistent drawing across more than 13 feet of length and the clean symmetry of the corner bouquets all back that up. This is workshop level execution on a loom wide enough for almost 10 feet, which is far harder to hold straight than a small rug, and the piece has come through in excellent condition with full pile throughout.