6'5" x 9'9" Persian Nain 9 La Rug | Ivory Field | Sky Blue Rosette Medallion | Silk Highlights
This 6'5" x 9'9" Persian Nain is a 9 La piece, hand-knotted in fine wool pile on a cotton foundation at approximately 380 to 400 knots per square inch, with silk worked into the beige flowers so they catch the light as you walk past. The drawing is crisp and precise, exactly what you expect from Nain. It has never been used, is in excellent condition and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Slightly longer than most of our 6x9 Persian rugs, it suits a bedroom, a study or a living room seating area where a light, refined rug can open up the space.
Design and Motifs
The center of the rug is a round medallion built like a star: a navy rosette surrounded by sky blue petals, wrapped in a ring of dark beige scrolls with a finely notched outer edge. Around it, a large oval frame of dark beige arabesques encloses the ivory field and gives the composition a calm, open shape. Inside and outside the oval, slender navy vines curl into spirals and carry small palmettes, leaves and blossoms, with a lotus palmette at each end of the medallion axis. The corners outside the oval hold larger spiraling vines, so the field never feels empty. The main border repeats palmettes and curling leaves on an ivory ground between dark beige guard stripes set with small rosettes. Nain weavers are known for this kind of fine, airy drawing, and here the silk highlights in the beige flowers give the pattern a gentle shimmer.
Ivory, Dark Beige and Sky Blue
Ivory sets the tone, a soft cream field that makes the rug feel light and spacious. Dark beige provides the structure: it draws the oval arabesque frame, the outer ring of the medallion and the guard stripes, a warm sandy color that works well with natural wood and stone. Navy blue traces the vines and outlines the palmettes, a fine dark line that keeps the drawing sharp against the pale ground. Blue, sky blue and light blue fill the medallion petals and appear throughout the flowers and leaves, a cool scale of blues that gives the rug its fresh, calm character. Small touches of dark red appear in a few border flowers, just enough to add warmth when you look closely. The silk sits in the beige blossoms, where its sheen picks up daylight and lamplight, so the rug looks slightly different from every angle.
Nain and the La Grading System
Nain is a small town in central Persia near Isfahan, long known for fine wool cloth before its weavers turned to rugs in the 20th century and quickly built a reputation for some of the most refined work in the country. Nain rugs are graded in La, a term that refers to the number of strands in the warp threads: 9 La is the classic standard grade, 6 La is finer, and 4 La is the finest and rarest. A 9 La Nain still offers the hallmarks of the type, with dense knotting, clear drawing, ivory and blue palettes and silk accents that outline the design. Explore more Persian Nain rugs to compare grades and sizes. This one shows the 9 La standard at its best, an ivory field and sky blue medallion drawn in clean navy lines with silk worked into its flowers.
