5' x 7'11" Hand-Knotted Persian Isfahan Rug, Signed by Master Zolfaghari | Classical Vase and Medallion on Midnight Navy Field | Kork Wool with Large Silk Elements on Silk Foundation | Approximately 700 KPSI

A genuinely auction-grade Persian carpet from one of the most important Isfahan masters of the modern era, this 5' x 7'11" rug is signed by Master Zolfaghari, whose works are considered rare collector finds and have appeared at major auction houses including Christie's. Master Zolfaghari is also one of the very few Isfahan weavers included in Levi Moheban's renowned Encyclopedia of Antique Carpets, the standard reference work for serious collectors of fine Persian rugs. The carpet is hand-knotted at approximately 700 knots per square inch in kork wool (the soft underbelly wool of young lambs) with large silk elements throughout the field, medallion, and spandrels, on a 100% silk foundation. The composition is the classical Isfahan vase-and-medallion idiom drawn at master level on a midnight navy field, framed by a luminous light blue main border and ornate ivory spandrels. The signature cartouche at the bottom apron reads "Iran Esfahan Zolfaghari" in Persian script, woven directly into the structure of the carpet alongside a small Iranian flag. For complete background on Isfahan history, design, and what makes Isfahan production exceptional, see our complete guide to Isfahan rugs.

Design and Motifs

The composition is the classical Isfahan vase-and-medallion design, with a small light-blue lobed center medallion carrying intricate ivory, gold, and silk-highlighted floral filigree, anchored above a graceful flowering vase that rises from the lower border with curling silk-outlined acanthus leaves and large palmette blossoms unfurling on either side. The midnight navy field is filled with a continuous tracery of slender vines bearing palmettes, lotus blossoms, leafy rosettes, and small blossoms, drawn at the precise scale that distinguishes top-tier Isfahan workshop production. Large silk elements run throughout the design: the curling acanthus leaves are silk-highlighted, many of the major palmettes are silk-woven, and the medallion and spandrels carry significant silk inlay that catches light dramatically and shifts the rug's appearance as you walk around it. The ivory upper spandrels are framed by ornate floral cartouches drawn in the precise Safavid revival style. The rug is bordered by a wide saturated light blue main band carrying a stately repeat of large palmettes connected by curling vines, with multiple narrow guard stripes in ivory, navy, and antique gold stepping the eye gracefully from field to fringe.

Colors and Placement

The palette is the classical jewel-tone Isfahan formula at its most refined: a deep midnight navy field that anchors the room, framed by a luminous light blue main border that gives the rug a characteristic Safavid revival glow, with the field flowers and medallion carrying ivory, antique gold, camel, terracotta, rust, soft rose, periwinkle, sage green, and small accents of black, all reading with extra luminosity wherever silk has been used. The contrast between the dark navy field and the bright light-blue border is one of the most prized color combinations in classical Isfahan production, and Master Zolfaghari's hand with this palette is exactly what places his work in serious collector circles. At 5' x 7'11" the rug is sized for a wide range of refined interiors: a primary living room with the front legs of furniture on the rug, a study or library, a primary bedroom at the foot of a queen bed, a formal entryway, a generous foyer, or as a visual anchor on display in a gallery wall arrangement. It pairs effortlessly with traditional, neoclassical, transitional, and contemporary interiors that benefit from a serious anchor piece.

Persian Isfahan Rugs and the Zolfaghari Workshop

Isfahan, the historic Safavid capital of Iran, has been the unquestioned center of fine Persian carpet production since the 16th century, when Shah Abbas I established the imperial workshops that produced some of the most celebrated carpets in human history. Among the master weavers active during the great mid-20th century revival of Isfahan production, Master Zolfaghari stands out as one of the most important and most collected names. His pieces are rare on the market, with examples that have crossed the block at Christie's and other major international auction houses, and his name appears in Levi Moheban's Encyclopedia of Antique Carpets, the definitive reference work for serious collectors. Authentic Zolfaghari carpets are characterized by extreme refinement, generous use of pure silk integrated into the kork wool pile, classical Safavid revival drawing, and the distinctive jewel-tone palette seen here. Hand-knotted at approximately 700 KPSI across the 40 square foot surface using the Persian senneh asymmetric knot, this rug represents roughly 4 million individual hand-tied knots, a labor of multiple years for a master weaver. Combined with the silk foundation, kork wool and silk pile, classical vase-and-medallion drawing, midnight navy palette, and the genuine Zolfaghari master signature, this rug represents a true investment-grade collector Persian carpet at a direct-importer price, the kind of acquisition normally made through auction or private dealer channels at substantial premiums. To learn more about the tradeoffs between wool, silk, and combined pile construction, see our complete guide to handmade rug materials.