9'7" x 19' Persian Kerman Rug | Ivory All-Over Floral Field | Lavar Style Drawing | Oversize

This is a room-defining Kerman, 9'7" x 19' of hand-knotted wool on a cotton foundation, woven in southeast Persia with the ivory ground and dense floral drawing that made Kerman one of the most recognized names in Persian weaving. The field is filled corner to corner with small flower sprays, curled leaves and palmettes, and a soft rose main border repeats the same vocabulary at a larger scale. A low 3/8 inch pile keeps every stem and petal legible, so a piece this long reads calm and open rather than heavy. Lengths like this were woven for halls and formal rooms, which puts it among oversize Persian rugs rather than any standard room size, and it ships with a certificate of authenticity.

Design and Motifs

A small lobed medallion sits at the center, drawn in rose and blue and barely larger than the surrounding motifs, which is typical of the Kerman workshop approach to long formats: the medallion marks the center without interrupting the field. Around it runs a true all-over floral composition of detached flower sprays, rosettes, tulip forms, feathery leaves and curling vine tips, each bouquet drawn separately and spaced so the ivory ground breathes between them. The 4 corners carry scalloped spandrels in blue and rose that frame the field with a cusped outline. The wide main border is the showpiece, a rose ground packed with palmettes, blossoms and scrolling leafwork, flanked by narrow guard stripes of small blossoms on ivory. Every element is curvilinear, which is only possible on a fine cotton warp with a short clipped pile, and the close-up photographs show how cleanly the outlines hold.

Ivory, Rose and Brilliant Blue Across 19 Feet

The ground is a warm ivory that shades toward pale brown and soft cream in places, a gentle abrash that runs the length of the field and is a natural result of hand-dyed yarn woven over a long period. Against that ground the drawing works in brilliant blue, from deep indigo outlines down to a clear mid blue in the petals and leaves, paired with rose, dusty pink and salmon in the blossoms. Touches of pale green, tan and soft brown fill the vine work, and small ivory highlights pick out flower centers so nothing turns muddy. The main border reverses the balance, setting rose as the ground with blue and ivory floral work over it, which frames the pale field and gives the piece a clear edge from across a large room. It is a pastel palette overall, quiet enough for painted walls and light floors, with enough blue to anchor it.

Kerman Weaving in Southeast Persia

Kerman sits in the southeast of Persia and has been a workshop weaving city for centuries, known for finely drawn floral and pictorial designs rather than village geometry. The finest drawing in the region is associated with Ravar, the town north of the city that western dealers have long called Lavar, and the delicate detached bouquets and small scale medallion seen here belong to that tradition. Kerman weavers work on a cotton foundation with a short wool pile and an asymmetric knot, a combination that allows curved lines, fine outlining and the kind of open ivory ground that would look empty in a coarser weave. Local wool takes dye well, which is why Kerman pieces hold soft rose and clear blue tones for generations. Weaving a single panel 19 feet long on one loom takes a large team and a long stretch of time, and pieces that survive at this length in good order are not common.