3'3" x 5' Persian Qum Pure Silk Rug Signed by Master Weaver Motevasel

This extraordinary Persian Qum rug represents one of the highest achievements in the art of hand knotting. Woven entirely in pure silk, both pile and foundation, and bearing the woven signature of master weaver Motevasel, this piece carries the rarest provenance a Qum rug can offer. At 850 to 900 knots per square inch, the density of the weave places this firmly among the most finely knotted rugs ever produced anywhere in the world. Qum, known in Persian as Qom or Ghom, is celebrated for producing the finest silk rugs in Iran, and signed examples by recognized masters are sought by serious collectors worldwide. This rug is in excellent condition, never used, with full even pile throughout.

Design and Motifs

The design follows the classical Qum allover garden composition, presenting an open field filled with scattered flowering tree bouquets rather than a central medallion. Across the celadon green ground, individual floral sprays and vase bouquets are arranged in a naturalistic, unhurried rhythm that gives the field the feeling of a Persian garden in full bloom. The motifs include full-blown garden roses with tightly layered petals, upright tulip clusters with closed and open buds, lily-like blossoms with swept-back petals, small wildflower clusters, and dramatic dark brown foliage accents that ground each bouquet against the luminous ground. Tiny singleton blossoms are scattered across the open field between the larger arrangements, filling the space with life without crowding it. The border system is equally refined, with a deep crimson main border carrying a continuous floral vine in ivory, pink, and mauve, flanked by ivory guard borders with repeating small rosettes, and an outermost border featuring ivory cartouche forms accented in teal and gold.

Colors and Placement

The dominant ground color is a clear, luminous celadon green, a soft sage-tinted jade tone that serves as the ideal backdrop for the floral palette and shifts in appearance as light plays across the silk pile. The floral bouquets are rendered in dusty rose, soft pink, deeper mauve-rose, and pale blush, with ivory and cream used extensively throughout the leaves and petals to add brightness and definition. Dark brown, nearly chocolate, appears in the dramatic palm-like foliage accents scattered across the field, creating strong graphic contrast. The main border is a deep, saturated crimson red, rich and commanding, carrying ivory and pink floral vines with occasional teal accents. The outermost guard border introduces an ivory ground with repeating octagonal cartouche forms in muted teal, slate, and gold, giving the edge of the rug a layered and sophisticated finish. The silk pile produces a natural sheen that causes the colors to shift from warm to cool as the viewing angle changes, a characteristic unique to pure silk Qum rugs at this knot density.

Qum Silk Rugs

Qum is the holy city and weaving center located approximately 150 kilometers south of Tehran, and its silk rugs are recognized globally as among the finest produced in the entire history of Persian rug weaving. The city's weavers developed a tradition of extraordinarily fine pure silk production beginning in the twentieth century, and signed pieces by master weavers have become some of the most collectible rugs in existence. This rug was woven on a 100% silk foundation, meaning both the warp and weft threads are silk, contributing to the exceptional suppleness and density of the finished piece. The woven signature of Motevasel, visible in the upper header band, identifies this as a documented master workshop piece. At 850 to 900 KPSI, the knot count is verifiable under magnification and places this rug in the top tier of Qum production. It is equally suited for use as a fine accent rug in a bedroom or sitting room, or for display as a wall-hung textile artwork.