1'3 x 2 Persian Ardebil Baby Rug | Heriz-Style Medallion | Wool and Silk | 250 KPSI

This 1'3 x 2 Persian Ardebil baby rug is a fully finished, hand-knotted miniature in wool and silk on a cotton foundation, drawn at about 250 knots per square inch. The composition is a complete Heriz-style design in miniature: a stepped, serrated medallion at the center with paired blue cartouches, a rust field, ivory corner spandrels, and a multi-band border with floral rosettes. Pieces like this were originally woven as weaver and dealer samples to demonstrate a design and palette at full knot density before committing to a full-size rug, and surviving examples in this condition have become genuinely scarce.

Design and Motifs

The center medallion is a hexagonal Heriz form, drawn with stepped serrated edges and anchored by two sky-blue cartouches holding stylized leaf and rosette motifs. Crowning the medallion top and bottom are golden palmettes set against the rust field, surrounded by ivory cloud-band cartouches sprinkled with pink rosebuds and pale green leaves. The main border carries rosettes and stylized flower heads on a salmon ground, framed by slim guard borders of indigo geometric chains. Every motif a full-size Heriz would carry is here, scaled down without losing definition.

Colors and Placement

The palette is bright and confident: copper rust field, deep navy and sky blue, ivory, golden yellow, salmon pink, soft pinks, and touches of olive green. The silk accents in the medallion and floral details catch light at a sharper angle than the wool ground, giving the piece a quiet shimmer up close. At 15 x 24 inches it is too small to function as a floor rug in any normal sense; it is best used as a framed wall piece, on a tabletop, in an entry or vanity setting, layered on a console, or kept as a collector display item.

Origin and Construction

Hand-knotted in Ardebil in northwest Persia, this piece carries the precision associated with Ardebil weaving applied to a sample-size canvas. It uses a cotton foundation, a wool and silk pile, and roughly 250 knots per square inch, which is what allows the serrated medallion and the multi-band border to read this cleanly at miniature scale. Sample rugs like this were originally produced as workshop references rather than commercial product, which is why they were never used and why their numbers have thinned out over time. As a direct importer, Rugs.net offers free shipping and free returns to all 50 states, same-day refunds, and our price beat guarantee.