6'9" x 10'3" Persian Tabriz Rug | 50 Raj | Signed Twice | Ivory Field Rose and Powder Blue Medallion | Wool and Silk on Silk
Soft, light and quietly luxurious, this 6'9" x 10'3" Persian Tabriz is the kind of rug that makes a room feel calmer the moment it is laid down. A rose and powder blue medallion opens like a flower on a warm ivory field, framed by lavender grey corners and a dusty rose border, all in a pastel palette that never tips into sweetness. It is a 50 Raj Tabriz, hand-knotted in wool and silk on a pure silk foundation at about 400 knots per square inch, and it is signed twice, with a woven cartouche at each end, a sign of a workshop that stood behind its work. 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 built like a blossom seen from above. At its heart sits a small pink and gold rosette inside a powder blue star, surrounded by 8 pale ivory cloud lobes with a silky sheen. A ring of alternating blue and pink flowers circles them, then 8 large powder blue petals edged in sky blue reach outward, set on a dusty rose ground. Heart-shaped blue palmettes with dark scrolling outlines finish the outer edge. Rose pendants with blue palmette centers extend toward each end, linking the medallion to the field. Across the ivory ground, fine grey-brown vines carry Shah Abbasi palmettes, small lilies, carnation heads and curling leaves, and several palmettes are drawn so freely they read almost like birds in flight. Each corner holds a lavender grey spandrel with a dark brown cloud-collar edge, softened by sage green sprays of tiny blue and pink flowers. The main border is dusty rose, with ivory and blue palmettes, sweeping vines and small flower garlands, set between sage green guard borders of pink blossoms. Beyond them, an ivory band at each end holds a woven signature cartouche framed by green and blue leaf scrolls.
The Colors: Ivory, Dusty Rose and Powder Blue
The field is a warm ivory, close to fresh cream, and it is the reason this rug feels so light. Dusty rose, a muted pink with a touch of brown, fills the medallion ground, the pendants and the main border, giving the design a soft warmth. Powder blue is the cool counterpoint, used for the medallion petals and countless small flowers, and the silk in the pile makes it shimmer when the light changes. Lavender grey in the 4 spandrels adds a subtle shadow between the ivory and the rose, while sage green in the guard borders and floral sprays ties everything together. Chocolate brown draws the fine outlines and the cloud-collar edges that keep the drawing crisp. The smaller accents are blush pink, burgundy, gold and sky blue, sprinkled through the flowers. It is a refined, pastel palette that suits a light, modern room as easily as a traditional one. The fringe is the natural ivory of the silk foundation.
A Signed 50 Raj Tabriz on a Silk Foundation
Tabriz, in northwest Persia, has been one of the country's leading weaving centers for centuries, and its workshops grade their quality by the Raj, the number of knots across a fixed width. A 50 Raj rug is genuinely fine work, and this one is lifted further by its silk foundation, which lets the knots sit tightly and keeps the rug flat and square. Silk in the pile adds sheen to the lighter tones and sharpens the smallest details, from the petals of the medallion to the tiny flowers in the guard borders. Signing a rug twice, once at each end, is a mark of pride that only established workshops tend to bother with. Among 7x10 Persian Tabriz rugs, a never-used, double-signed piece in wool and silk on silk is a high-end find, ready for a living room, dining room or bedroom.
