2’8″ x 5’1″ Antique Sarouk Rug, Central Persia, Circa 1925
A finely woven antique Sarouk rug with a highly distinctive design and palette. The navy blue field is decorated with a vase with leaves and flowers extending from it. The bold scale and complex details of the floral elements is uncommon, as is the pale yellow border.
This Sarouk rug is not easy to categorize. It is finely and densely woven but not old enough to fit into the “Fereghan Sarouk” category, which ran from approximately the 1870s to circa 1910. The generation of Sarouk rugs that followed the Fereghan period were called “Mahajaran Sarouks”. These often feature navy field and bold drawing of the floral motifs, plus a superb sense of the use of open space in the best examples. However, the tend to have a more pliable handle than this rug has and also a different aesthetic feel which is difficult for me to articulate.
There is another type of Sarouk that one rarely sees, especially in antique examples and these are referred to as “Ghiassabad Sarouk” rugs. A very long time friend, now retired from the antique rug business, whom I consider the most knowledgeable expert in antique Sarouk rugs I have ever met I believe once referred to an antique Sarouk as a “Ghiassabad”. This was perhaps 25 or 30 years ago and I can not remember clearly but it might help in understanding the unique character of this piece.
A very durable rug in excellent condition, I think this piece crosses over from being simply decorative to also being collectable. It would certainly not be easy to replace. The size is also difficult to find, being narrower than most Sarouk rugs that are approximately five feet in length. A very interesting example of Sarouk weaving.