6'7" x 10'6" Persian Isfahan Rug | Ivory Field Star Medallion with Navy Corners and Red Border | Kork Wool on Silk
This is the Isfahan most people picture when they think of a fine Persian rug, made at a level few ever see in person. A star medallion in red, navy and blush blooms at the center of a creamy ivory field, spiraling vines fill every inch around it, deep navy corners edged in blush frame the field, and a wide cherry red border closes it all in. At 6'7" x 10'6" it is a true room-size fine Isfahan rug, hand-knotted in kork wool on a pure silk foundation at roughly 500 knots per square inch, and even the fringe is silk. It has never been used and looks as if it came off the loom today. It comes with our certificate of authenticity.
Design and Motifs
The medallion is a 16 point star built in rings. At its heart, a small ivory flower sits inside a sky blue star of pointed petals on a blush ground scattered with tiny red and white blossoms. Around it, alternating red and navy lobes hold palmettes in ivory, olive and taupe, with small mint scrolls tucked between them, and a crisp sky blue outline gives the whole star its jagged silhouette. Red shield-shaped pendants above and below carry the design toward each end. Across the ivory field, fine navy vines spiral outward in large circles, carrying Shah Abbasi palmettes, curling blue leaves and clusters of small rosettes, all mirrored with precision. Each corner opens into a navy spandrel edged in blush, filled with red and blue lotus forms, cream arabesques and leafy sprays. The main border is cherry red, where palmettes, rosettes and starry white flower clusters ride on a winding pale blue vine. It sits between ivory guard stripes of navy leaf scrolls, with a sky blue outer stripe of gold vine waves.
The Colors: Ivory, Cherry Red and Navy
The field is a soft, warm ivory, close to fresh cream, and it keeps a rug of this size feeling light and open. Cherry red, clear and saturated, fills the main border and the medallion lobes and gives the rug its warmth from across the room. Deep navy, almost midnight, anchors the 4 spandrels and draws every vine in the field, so the design reads crisp even from a distance. Sky blue is the bright accent, used in the medallion star, the curling leaves and the outer guard stripe. Blush pink and salmon soften the medallion center and the edges of the spandrels, a subtle touch that sets this palette apart from the usual red, navy and ivory combination. Olive, mint, taupe and chocolate brown fill in the leaves and outlines. Kork wool takes dye beautifully and has a natural sheen, so every color reads rich and clean. The fringe is natural ivory silk.
Isfahan Weaving on a Silk Foundation
Isfahan, in central Persia, built its reputation in the Safavid court workshops of the 16th century, and the city's weavers are still judged on drawing above all: unbroken vines, perfectly matched palmettes, curves without a single stepped edge. That level of drawing depends on the foundation. The best Isfahan workshops weave on a silk foundation, because silk warps are thin and strong, let the knots pack tightly and keep the rug flat and square across its full length. Here the silk runs right through to the fringe. Kork wool, the soft fleece from the neck and shoulders of the lamb, gives the pile its fine, dense hand. At about 500 knots per square inch, this rug sits firmly in collector territory. Among 7x10 Persian Isfahan rugs, a never-used kork wool piece on silk in this classic palette is a high-end find, ready for a living room, dining room or bedroom.
