Persian Serapi 13×19 Navy Blue and Rust Oversized Rug

Description

Serapi rugs — produced in the village of Serapi and the surrounding region of northwest Iran’s Azarbaijan Province — occupy the apex of the Northwest Persian tribal weaving hierarchy, distinguished from their Heriz cousins by a notably more curvilinear and naturalistic design vocabulary, finer knotting, greater chromatic sophistication, and an overall quality of refinement that places the finest 19th-century Serapi examples in direct competition with the great workshop carpets of Tabriz and Isfahan in terms of collector appeal and auction market value. This superb 13 by 19 foot palace-sized example presents the characteristic Serapi medallion composition in a palette of deep navy and brick rust that has, over a century and more of age, achieved the settled warmth and depth of color impossible to replicate in new production.

The medallion — angular yet organic, rigidly geometric yet possessed of a kind of natural, almost botanical authority — is surrounded by a field populated with individual floral sprays, angular botanical devices, and stylized animal forms rendered with the direct, expressive confidence of the tribal master weaver working from personal artistic tradition rather than workshop specification. The result is a carpet of commanding scale and deeply individual character. At palace scale, with fully documented provenance, this Serapi is a collector acquisition of the first importance. Certificate of authenticity included.

Additional information