2'6" x 4'1" Persian Tajabad Rug | Red Field | Navy Lozenge Medallion | Ivory Hooked Border
At 2'6" x 4'1", this Persian Tajabad is hand-knotted in wool pile on a cotton foundation at roughly 180 to 220 knots per square inch, a village weave with a thick, springy handle and drawing that reads clearly from across a room. It is in excellent condition. The fringes have been removed and both ends overlocked, a neat finish that secures the last rows of knots and leaves nothing to catch underfoot or in a vacuum. Like every piece in our collection it comes with a certificate of authenticity, and it is one of the more graphic pieces among our small Persian rugs.
Design and Motifs
A navy lozenge medallion outlined in pink and light blue sits at the center, stacked with small pinwheel rosettes around a dark star flower. Diamond finials extend from both of its points, and a lotus-shaped pendant caps each end of the red field. Two white bracket motifs float level with the medallion on either side. What gives the rug its energy are the navy side panels: they push into the red field in sharp zigzag steps, like lightning, and each one is packed with columns of pinwheel rosettes. Thin dotted lines trace the inner edge of the red ground. The ivory main border alternates red and blue hooked forms with small leaf motifs, a lively counterpoint to the strict symmetry of the field. It is a clear example of how geometric rugs from village looms build movement out of nothing but stepped lines and repeated shapes.
Red, Navy Blue and Ivory
The red here is a clear, bright tomato tone that runs through the open field and gives the rug most of its warmth. Against it, navy blue fills the medallion and the jagged side panels, deep enough that the small rosettes inside them glow. Medium blue and pink do the outlining work: a light blue line traces every zigzag edge, and pink forms a second contour around the medallion and finials, so each shape looks drawn twice. The pinwheel rosettes mix red, blue, ivory and dark green, a few with touches of beige. Ivory is saved for the main border and the white bracket motifs, which keeps the edges bright and frames the darker field. Dark green and orange appear in the border leaves and the guard stripes, small accents that add variety without competing with the red and navy at the center.
A Village Rug from the Hamedan Region
Tajabad is one of the many weaving villages scattered across the Hamedan region of western Persia, where rugs have long been knotted at home on village looms from sturdy local wool. Each village keeps its own handful of favorite layouts, and rugs sold under the Tajabad name typically show a strong central medallion on a red ground, much like this one. These are working rugs meant for daily use, and the coarser knot count goes hand in hand with a dense, resilient pile. They sit within the larger family of Persian Hamedan rugs, and this small piece shows the type at its brightest, a navy lozenge set in red with lightning-edged panels on both sides.
