The city of Tabriz in Northwest Persia has long been known as a centre for Persian arts, culture, and literature, but especially for the quality of its carpets, with a tradition dating back as early as the 14th Century. Thanks to its location, incorporating influences from nearby Azerbaijan and Turkey, its weavings are among the most diverse of any city in Iran, and antique Tabriz carpets are especially distinguished by their tight weaves and close adherence to the traditions of Classical Persian rug weaving design.

This understated c. 1930s Tabriz carpet, woven in lustrous wool (of the same grade as merino), boasts an effortlessly sophisticated design inspired by earlier weavings of the 17th & 18th Centuries, with an overall pattern featuring large-scale floral and scrolling vine motifs throughout. The rare ivory ground provides a wonderful backdrop to the motifs, rendered in gracefully aged vegetable-dyed colours, with notes of amber, ochre, various shades of blue and muted terracotta, all framed by a wide muted tan border of great proportions.

This early 20th Century Tabriz carpet is in very good practical condition for everyday use, retaining its outer borders on all sides.

A stylish example, with the versatility to blend in with a variety of tasteful settings.

The city of Kashan, among the most esteemed Persian rug-weaving centres, first rose to prominence in the 16th Century under the Safavid Dynasty. These workshops earned a reputation for producing many of the most highly sought-after rugs of the Classical period and continued their work into the early 20th Century.

This Circa 1930s Kashan Carpet is an exquisite example of its type. With an understated design drawing on 17th-century motifs with a vine pattern repeating creatively across the piece, rendered in a palette of gracefully aged vegetable-dyed wools in earthy hues, unique amongst Kashan carpets of its period; grey, caramel, and chestnut accents are set upon an ivory field, framed by a broad, well-proportioned border. A particularly attractive feature is the uniformity of colour and design in the frame and the field, lending a feeling of balance and a quiet formality to the work.

Retained in very good practical condition for everyday use, with its original borders and fringes preserved on all sides.

A stylish carpet, with the versatility to blend seemlessly in both classic and contemporary interiors.

Savonnerie pieces are undoubtedly the most prestigious of all European knotted pile carpets; the Savonnerie manufactory was first established in 1615, by Pierre DuPont, in part in response to a desire among the aristocracy to reinvigorate the French decorative arts. Until 1768, Savonnerie carpets remained the exclusive property of the French royalty, and served as some of the nation’s most high-value diplomatic gifts, gracing the palaces of the nobility all across Europe. The Savonnerie fashion enjoyed particular favor during the reign of Napoleon, as a staple of Empire Style design, popular internationally among those seeking to emulate the tastes of the French upper classes, and began to be produced by workshops outside of France. Waddesdon Manor, a Victorian mansion well-known for its vast collection of French artworks, possesses nineteen of these Savonnerie carpets.

This vintage example features a restrained, two-tone palette in the field, with a stamped fleur-de-lis motif, inspired by the 18th Century Neoclassical carpets of designers like Robert Adams, in soft coral and sage green tones over an ivory ground, framed by a decorative cornflower blue border; an open, all over composition, which lends the work a feeling of space and balance.

In very good condition to excellent condition, with good pile throughout and borders conserved on all sides.

An understated example, of a truly impressive size and rare colour palette – a design classic, with the versatility to compliment a wide variety of interiors.

This carpet is available to be viewed in situ or in our Studio Showroom in North London. Please contact us at Robin@GalleryYacou.com to arrange a viewing.

Antique Sarouk carpets are among the most luxurious Persian rugs, renowned for their exceptional style, quality, and understated elegance. These carpets were particularly favored in the West during the 19th century and are crafted in the same region of western Persia as Ziegler Sultanabad and Mahal carpets. What sets Sarouk carpets apart however is their sophistication, with a finer weave and lustrous wool.

This early example from the 1900s has an exceptionally fine weave, giving it a sharp, precise drawing. It features rich dyes and an innovative composition in line with the exceptional craftsmanship of Sarouk weavings from this period. This particular carpet, however, features a uniquely well-balanced design, in contrast with the more traditional central medallion designs. The light terracotta red field beautifully complements the soft, gracefully aged vegetable-dyed colors throughout, while the exquisite sky-blue of the border, with subtle hints of green throughout, adds depth to the composition, enhancing its restrained composition.

This Antique Sarouk Carpet is in very good practical condition for everyday use with slight age related wear giving it a charming patina.

An elegant example, this carpet exudes a quiet formality that would complement a wide range of interiors.

The weaving workshops of Western Anatolia, where Oushak carpets such as this first emerged, date back to the Early Modern period. By the 19th century, these rugs gained widespread popularity in the growing Western market. Oushak carpets such as this are frequently found in many historic and stately homes throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.

This handsome example dating to the beginning of the 20th Century is woven in lustrous wool, and features a bold graphic drawing rendered in a variety of natural vegetable-dyed colours, including various greens and settled mid-blues accented by sky-blue, all atop a pleasant light terracotta red field.

Besides its unconventional square shape, another unique and attractive feature of this carpet is the uniformity in colour of both the border and the central field, providing a balance to its design and aesthetic versatility, allowing it to blend in nicely.

This antique Oushak carpet is in very good practical condition for every day use, still retaining its original outer borders and fringes on all sides.

A sophisticated example, able to enhance various interiors both classic and contemporary.

The city of Kashan, among the best-known and highly-ranked Persian rug-weaving centres, first rose to prominence in the 16th Century, under the Safavid Dynasty. These workshops earned a reputation for producing many of the most highly sought-after rugs of the Classical period and continued their work into the early 20th Century.

This Kashan carpet is a high-end workshop weaving of the 1930s, bearing the signature of one of the master-weavers of its era, responsible for some of the finest and most creative exmaples of the period, many of which can be found in historic homes across Europe and the UK. An elegant carpet, it features simplified design characteristics of earlier 17th Century weavings, with cornflower blue and muted hazelnut accents, over a soft ivory ground, framed by a wide, muted earth-tone border. Despite dating to the 1930s, this rug has a surprisingly modern aesthetic sensibility.

Retained in very good practical condition for everyday use, with its original borders and fringes preserved on all sides.

A stylish carpet, with an understated elegance that would lend itself equally to a classic or contemporary interior.

Though closely related to their highly-sought after Heriz cousins, Karadjeh carpets and rugs, woven in a nearby village, enjoy a particular reputation for the tribal eccentricity of their designs, employing spontaneous, graphic patterns.

This early 20th Century example features a series of finely woven geometric motifs, in tones of denim blue, tan, and ivory, over a warm terracotta ground, and framed by a wide, decorative border – a bold composition, relative to this piece’s smaller format.

Retained in very good condition for everyday use, with a fine age-related patina.

A handsome accent rug, to suit a wide variety of settings.

The Shahsavan people, native to Northern Iran and Azerbaijan, are well known for their skills in weaving, particularly in the construction of fine, durable flatweaves, often employing the bold, graphic designs also common to carpets from the Caucasus, with a tribal charm that has made them widely popular decorative pieces.

This example, handwoven in Iran, represents a contemporary reimagining of Shahsavan carpets of the early 20th Century, combining the quality and creativity of a tribal weaving with a Modernist aesthetic sensibility. Its use of high-grade, undyed wool lends an earthy quality to the soft tan, charcoal grey and ivory tones in repeated rectangular bands across the field, with accents in terracotta red and denim blue – a elegant, restrained composition, which lends the work a sense of relaxed simplicity.

A stylish piece, to add character to any setting.

Ziegler Sultanabad carpets were originally commissioned in Persia for the Western market during the late 19th Century, to complement Western furnishing tastes, quickly becoming popular across the UK and Europe, thanks to their unique, grand scale drawings, quiet formality, and understated colours, which continue to make them highly sought-after additions to modern homes today, thanks to their ability to unite both classic and contemporary elements in a room.

This fine example represents a contemporary reimagining of Ziegler Sultanabad carpets of the 19th Century, handwoven in Iran in high-grade wool – a modern twist on a classic work of design. It features grand-scale drawing, with tones of ivory, cornflower blue, muted lavender-grey and various greens, well complimented by the warm terracotta ground, and framed by a wide, decorative border.

A handsome carpet, rare in this large, squarish format, to suit a wide variety of interiors.

Beni Ourain rugs originate in the Taza region of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, woven by the Beni Ourain people, and are well-known for the exceptional quality of their wool, produced by sheep raised by the same Berber tribe. They stand out for the refined simplicity of their designs, typically a black geometric motif over a white ground, originally made popular by such designers as Alvar Aalto and Le Corbusier.

This contemporary piece is an outstanding example, featuring a creative irregular diamond pattern, in wonderfully crisp drawing, over natural, undyed wool, with a fringe at either end – it boasts a remarkably fine weave for a rug of this type, lending a crisp clarity to its minimalist design. Its monochrome palette gives the carpet a sense of understated elegance, which lends itself well to a contemporary or mid-century modern interior.

A charming tribal piece, to add character to any setting.