A Palatial Kashan, c. 1920

Kashan has been one of the great centres of Persian weaving since the Safavid era, when its workshops produced the classical medallion carpets that set the benchmark for city-workshop design. By the early twentieth century Kashan was synonymous with finely drawn floral medallion carpets in saturated natural dyes, woven on cotton foundations with hand-spun wool pile. This piece stands squarely in that tradition: a generously scaled, master-drawn medallion carpet that would have been a significant commission in its day.

This is a genuine collector's piece, hand-knotted around 1920 in the asymmetrical Persian knot. After more than a century it shows the soft, harmonised palette and quiet patina that only natural-dyed antique wool develops — a depth of colour no modern dyeing can imitate.

Colour and Composition

The composition is the classical Kashan floral medallion. A deep madder-red field, densely worked with curling floral vines, palmettes and small rosettes, carries a substantial central pointed medallion with an ivory-cream inner field finely filled with blossoms, closed top and bottom by indigo pendants. Four navy-blue corner spandrels with floral drawing frame the medallion. A broad navy main border of large palmettes and connecting vines is flanked by lighter sky-blue guard borders with running floral repeats. The palette beyond the red ground and navy carries ivory, sky blue, salmon-rose, muted green and honey-brown accents, all from natural plant dyes — madder, indigo and weld.

Presence in the Room

At 550 × 330 cm (18.15 m²) this is a true palatial format. Three contexts in which the piece reaches its full effect:

• Formal dining hall: Beneath a long table seating twelve to sixteen, the red ground and floral medallion give a representative dining room warmth and classical depth.
• Grand salon and stately interiors: With antique furniture, panelling and brass, the Kashan completes a classical interior of the highest rank.
• Reception hall or hotel lobby: In a generously proportioned entrance or lobby, the carpet anchors the space and rewards close looking.

Specifications

1stDibs Recognised Dealer · Spencer (2021)

Djoharian carries the Recognised Dealer badge on 1stDibs since 2013, with a 5.0/5 verified rating. Our rugs have appeared in international productions including Spencer (2021) with Kristen Stewart. Both reflect a standard of authentication and presentation that serious collectors and design professionals can rely on.

Responsible Origin · Label STEP

Djoharian is a certified partner of Label STEP, the international fair-trade organisation for hand-knotted rugs. STEP audits production conditions on the ground — wages, working environment, no child labour — and tracks pieces from loom to dealer.

Djoharian — Since 1967

Our family business was founded in 1967, with roots in the Grand Carpet Bazaar of Tehran. Five decades of trade and connoisseurship inform every piece we offer — collected, vetted, and presented with the documentation a serious collector expects.

Service

Secure and fast worldwide shipping, fully insured. Each piece is professionally packed and shipped with a certificate of authenticity. We are available for any questions on placement, care, or comparable pieces.