3'5" x 5'5" Persian Qum Pure Silk | Signed Gholbafan | Caravan Band Border | 900 KPSI

An exceptional signed Gholbafan workshop piece from the city of Qum, woven in pure silk on a pure silk foundation at approximately 900 knots per square inch. The composition is unmistakably Gholbafan: a lobed central medallion floats on a deeply scattered burgundy and espresso brown field of millions of tiny blossoms, framed by a vase-and-flower main border, with a remarkable figural caravan band crowning the upper edge. Learn more in our complete guide to Qum rugs.

Design and Motifs

The field reads as a hezar gol (thousand flower) composition, with countless miniature blossoms, leaves, and tendrils scattered across the deep burgundy ground at a density only ultra-fine silk weaving can achieve. The lobed central medallion is outlined in ivory and shaded in espresso brown with its own miniature floral interior, anchored by a small dark cartouche. Saffron yellow lattice work frames the corner spandrels and creates an architectural sense of inner panels. The main border carries a vase and flower motif on a burgundy ground, flanked by ivory guard borders of scrolling floral vinework. The crowning detail sits along the upper edge: a unique caravan band on a dark ground depicting human figures, architectural structures, elephants, and other animals, a Gholbafan trademark that elevates this piece beyond the typical Qum format. The signed cartouche along the lower border carries the workshop name flanked by tiny camel and elephant figures.

Colors and Placement

A deep burgundy field with espresso brown shadows gives this piece a jewel-tone richness that catches light differently from every angle, the way only silk can. Scattered through the floral palette are sky blue, olive, coral, rose, ivory, and bright saffron yellow accents that pop against the dark ground. The multicolored fringe (cream and turquoise) is a finishing flourish you rarely see outside top Qum ateliers. At 3'5" x 5'5" this is a piece for a position where it can be appreciated up close: as a foyer or entry rug, beside the bed, in front of a fireplace, mounted on the wall as the artwork it really is, or layered over a larger neutral wool rug to draw the eye. Silk reflects light directionally so the field will read warmer or cooler depending on which way the rug faces.

Qum Rugs and Construction

Qum is a holy city in central Iran that became a major silk weaving center in the twentieth century, and its top-tier ateliers like Gholbafan now produce some of the finest silk-on-silk rugs woven anywhere in the world today. Pure silk warp and weft allow weavers to set knots so densely that detail rivals miniature painting; pure silk pile delivers the directional sheen and saturated color that wool cannot match. This piece is woven at approximately 900 KPSI across an 18.5 square foot surface, equivalent to roughly 2.4 million individual hand-tied knots, representing many months of work at the loom by a master weaver. The signature on the lower cartouche confirms the provenance, and the figural caravan band along the upper edge is a Gholbafan signature element rarely seen on other Qum production. Pieces of this caliber are bought as collector items and passed down. To see fifteen signed Persian Qum silk masterpieces currently at Rugs.net, see our guide to 15 signed Qum silk masterpieces.