8'6" x 8'6" Round Persian Nain 9La Rug | Wool & Silk | Sunburst Medallion | 280 KPSI

A genuine round Persian rug is a rare find, and a round Nain in 9La quality rarer still. This 8'6" x 8'6" piece was woven as a circle on the loom, not cut from a larger rug, with the pattern drawn from the center outward so every element resolves perfectly at the curved edge. Knotted at approximately 280 knots per square inch in wool with silk highlights on a cotton foundation, it is in excellent condition and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Under a round dining table, in a foyer, or anchoring a seating group, a round Nain does what no rectangular rug can.

Design and Motifs

The composition radiates from an ivory sunburst medallion, a layered rosette of scalloped petals wrapped around a navy ring of arabesques, the whole thing reading like a mandala at the center of the circle. From it, ivory and French blue vines spiral outward across the deep red field, carrying blossoms, serrated leaves, and curling shekufeh sprays in the unmistakable Nain hand: fine white outlines around every form so the drawing stays crisp. At the cardinal points, ornate vases emerge from the border into the field, a classic touch that gives the circle its compass. The navy main border answers with scrolling vines between paired ivory guard bands, bending the full Nain border system around the curve without a single awkward join, which is precisely the skill round weaving demands.

Color

This is Nain in its richer register: instead of the familiar pale ivory ground, the field is a deep, saturated red that sets the ivory vine work glowing against it. The classic Nain blues are all present, navy in the border and outlines, French blue and light blue in the flowers and leaves, with brown and sage as quiet accents. Silk highlights trace the vines and brighten the blossoms, catching light as you move around the rug, which a circle invites you to do. The red gives the piece warmth and presence that suits dining rooms and libraries especially well, while the ivory medallion keeps the center airy and bright.

Origin

Nain, on the edge of central Persia's desert east of Isfahan, grades its own work by the La system: the number of threads plied into each warp bundle, where fewer means finer. 9La is the fine workshop grade that built Nain's international reputation, here running at approximately 280 knots per square inch with silk knotted into the highlights. Round rugs are a special discipline within that production; the loom is dressed differently, the design must be composed radially, and the border must sweep a perfect circle. Few weavers take them on, which is why true round Persian rugs are scarce in every size, let alone at 8'6" in 9La quality. For the room that calls for a circle, there is no substitute.