3'8" x 5'9" Persian Isfahan Rug | Signed Darri | Navy Field Green Sunburst Medallion Ruby Border | Kork Wool on Silk
At one end of this rug, woven into the ivory guard border, a small cartouche reads "Isfahan Darri", the mark of a workshop whose name carries real weight among signed Isfahan rugs. The piece earns it. This 3'8" x 5'9" Persian Isfahan sets a green and gold sunburst medallion on a deep navy field, wraps it in taupe and sky blue spandrels, and frames everything in a ruby red border of ivory arabesques. It is hand-knotted in kork wool on a pure silk foundation at roughly 580 knots per square inch. It is brand new and has never been used, and it comes with our certificate of authenticity.
Design and Motifs
The medallion opens like a sunflower. Sixteen pointed olive green petals, each filled with a fine lattice of tiny blue and copper dots, radiate from a navy and sky blue rosette with a gold heart. Around them, 8 sky blue lobes outlined in copper hold ivory palmette forms, and at top and bottom, sky blue pendants with ivory arabesques extend the medallion along the length of the rug. The navy field around it is drawn as a series of large circles: thin red vines sweep outward in rings, carrying lavender grey cloud bands, sky blue and gold Shah Abbasi palmettes, ivory blossom clusters and small yellow buds, all mirrored with precision in 4 directions. Each corner holds a taupe spandrel of blue and burgundy palmettes edged in ivory. The main border is ruby red, with ivory and gold arabesque scrolls winding between grey and blue palmettes and small star flowers. It sits between 2 ivory guard borders of blue paisley and flower clusters, and the Darri cartouche is woven into the guard border at one end.
The Colors: Navy, Ruby Red and Olive Green
The field is a deep navy, close to midnight, and it gives every motif on it a jewel-like clarity. The border is a clear ruby red, warm and saturated, the second strong note in the rug and the frame you see first from across the room. The medallion's olive green is unusual in an Isfahan and gives the center a warm, almost bronze glow, picked up by mustard gold at its heart and in the small buds across the field. Sky blue is the brightest accent, used for the medallion lobes, the pendants and many of the palmettes. Taupe fills the spandrels and softens the corners, and lavender grey runs through the cloud bands. Ivory carries the arabesques, the guard borders and the blossom clusters, while copper outlines the medallion and burgundy appears in the smaller flowers. Kork wool takes dye beautifully and has a natural sheen, so the navy and red read rich rather than flat. The fringe is the natural ivory of the silk foundation.
The Darri Workshop and Isfahan Weaving
Isfahan, in central Persia, inherited the Safavid court weaving tradition of the 16th century, and its workshops are still judged above all on drawing. Darri is one of the names that collectors and dealers look for when they turn over an Isfahan border. A woven workshop signature puts that reputation on the piece, and this rug shows why: the sunburst petals are perfectly matched, the red vine circles close cleanly, and every palmette in the field has its mirror twin. That level of control comes from the combination of materials. Silk warps are thin and strong, so knots pack tightly and the rug lies flat and square, while kork wool, the soft fleece from the neck and shoulders of the lamb, gives a dense, fine pile that holds detail. At about 580 knots per square inch, this Persian Isfahan sits in collector range, and in brand new condition it is ready for a bedroom, study or entry, or for a wall where the signature can be seen.
