4 x 6 Antique Fereghan Sarouk Rug, Central Persian, Circa 1890

I am particularly partial to open field designs in antique rugs and find this antique Fereghan Sarouk to be an outstanding example. The abrashed (variegated) red field contains a sky blue medallion and is framed by sky blue corner spandrels and a navy blue Turtle design border.

As is the case with many types of Persian rugs from the second half of the 19th century, the earlier examples tend to have a better use of open space and more rectilinear articulation of the floral motifs. One can see both aspects in this rug, were the flowers in the medallion seem to float in their own space and the vines are less curvilinear than they would likely be if the rug were produced 10 or 20 years later.

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