Antique Persian Bakhtiari Farah Donbeh Village Rug

Origin: Farah Donbeh village, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran. See a similar rug published in Willborg's Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari: Village, Workshop & Nomadic Rugs Of Western Persia, plate #148.

Age: Late 1920s to 1930s, ~90-100 years old.

Design: A very intricate floral medallion design, a Persian classic. A large central medallion and corner spandrels featuring sprawling vines and dense clusters of blooming flowers. The field and borders are also absolutely filled with floral motifs and sprawling vines. The alternating lighter and darker field colors create an almost three dimensional look to the rug.

Colors: All natural plant dyes that are incredibly saturated and have a significant variation in color from small batch lots. The dying expertise employed here is as much an art form as that of the weaver. Shades of blue from Indigo (indigofera tinctoria, also known as true indigo.) Shades of red and pink from madder root (rubia tinctorum, or dyer’s madder). Yellow has several possible sources including pomegranate rind, onion skins, vine leaves, and weld (reseda luteola). Greens from overdying blue and yellow. Orange from overdying red and yellow. Natural undyed ivory and natural undyed peppery-brown. Black/brown probably from dark wool also dyed with indigo and/or walnut husk. Excellent use of dye variation (abrash) from different dye lots. A significant amount of rosy red is used in place of where ivory would traditionally be used, resulting in a very pleasant, vibrant and warm-toned appearance.

Foundation: Cotton warp and single cotton weft.

Pile: Very densely knotted wool pile, clipped short to show fine detail of the design.

Knotting: Symmetrical.

Size: 5 feet by 7 feet.

Condition: Very good condition. A few areas on the rug have lower pile and some very slight spotting of weft from a century of wear. I secured the fringe ends and fully restored the single cord selvage with matching green/yellow wool (an unusual color choice for a side finish!). Freshly washed.