4'3" x 6'6" Master Signed Hossein Kashizadeh Persian Qum Pure Silk Rug, Dome Medallion at Approximately 1,000 KPSI

A genuine masterpiece, and among the finest silk Qum carpets to come through our hands. This 4'3" x 6'6" Persian Qum is woven entirely in pure silk and carries the signature of Master Hossein Kashizadeh, one of Qom's most exclusive silk carpet producers, whose work is regarded as some of the best executed in the market. Knotted at roughly twelve knots per centimeter, approximately 1,000 knots per square inch, the drawing is so fine and the silk so precisely tied that the back nearly mirrors the front. About thirty years old, never used, and held in flawless condition. A piece at this level rarely reaches the open market.

Design and Motifs

The composition centers on a radiating dome medallion, the gonbad layout that the finest Qom designers reserve for their most ambitious work, built from concentric rings of segmented floral compartments that spin out from a small central rosette like the inside of a domed ceiling. This centerpiece sits within a recessed, paneled field framed by cartouche bands at top and bottom and slender floral guard panels along the sides, the whole architecture set against a deep black ground that throws the interior colors forward. The border is an exceptionally fine multi-band floral procession, and the master's signature cartouche is woven into the end panel in both Farsi and Latin script. Every compartment is fully drawn down to the smallest blossom, the kind of density only the very finest silk knotting allows.

Colors and Placement

A deep black field frames a richly worked interior of terracotta, ivory, and salmon rose, accented with sage green, sky blue, royal blue, gold, and burgundy. Because the rug is pure silk, the colors shift and glow as the light and your viewing angle change, so the same piece reads warmer or cooler through the day. At 4'3" by 6'6" it is an accent and display scale rather than a foot-traffic rug, and a silk Qum of this caliber is most at home where it can be seen and protected, layered over a larger floor rug, beside a bed, in a study or library, in a formal sitting area, or mounted and framed as the wall-hung art piece it truly is. The black ground makes it exceptionally easy to place against both light and dark interiors.

Origin and Construction

Qom is a relatively young weaving city by Persian standards, but in a few decades its master ateliers have made it synonymous with the finest pure-silk carpets woven anywhere, a story we tell in full in our complete guide to Qum rugs. This piece is the full expression of that reputation. The foundation is silk, the pile is silk, and the knotting runs at roughly twelve knots per centimeter, approximately 1,000 knots per square inch, which is why the reverse is nearly as crisp and complete as the face. The master signature, the silk-on-silk construction, and the near-mirror back together place this rug firmly in the top collector tier of Qom silk work. If you would like to see more of what that tier looks like, our feature on 15 signed Qum silk masterpieces showcases other pieces in the same league, and our guide to handmade rug materials explains how pure silk differs from wool and mixed-fiber construction. The rectangular 4x6 format is the most collected size for fine signed silk pieces, equally suited to display, layering, or framing.