Heritage and Knotting Tradition

The Tibetan tiger rug is one of the oldest motifs in Himalayan textile culture. For centuries, tiger rugs in this format were used in Tibetan monasteries and palaces as seats for high lamas during meditation, as covers for ceremonial columns, and as honour places for rulers and teachers. The tiger itself symbolises power, protective strength and spiritual vigilance — the embodiment of the awakened mind in Vajrayana Buddhism.

This piece is hand-knotted in the workshops of Kathmandu, Nepal, by experienced artisans in the Tibetan knotting tradition. The material composition is two-thirds pure Mulberry silk and one-third hand-spun Changpai highland wool — a silk-rich blend, with the Mulberry silk pulling the surface toward brilliance and the Changpai wool grounding it with structural depth. Changpai — from sheep raised above 4,000 metres on the Tibetan plateau — is exceptionally long-staple and lustrous; Mulberry silk is the noble cultivated silk that has defined fine textile art for two millennia. The pile height is approximately 12 mm, with a particularly soft, plush hand.

Colour and Composition

The field reads the Tibetan tiger as pure stripe pattern rather than a figurative animal: rows of stylised tiger stripes rendered as saturated orange, amber chevrons — a rhythmic wave-and-hook movement — set against a deep aubergine, dark-berry ground, closed top and bottom by dusky-rose zigzag end borders in a kilim-like chevron band. The silk-rich pile makes the orange stripes catch the light differently than the berry ground — in daylight the orange reads luminous and intense, in evening light the berry deepens toward aubergine and the orange becomes amber. A bold, jewel-toned composition with an almost Art-Deco rhythm, for an interior with confidence in colour.

Presence in the Room

At 180 × 90 cm (1.6 m²) this is the classical Tibetan Khaden format. Three contexts in which this Tibetan tiger reaches its full effect:

• Modern loft or city apartment: the dark berry and orange pair particularly well with raw concrete, blackened steel and natural wood — a textile that brings warmth and intensity into a minimal architecture.
• Library or studio: the saturated palette and silk-rich pile make this a natural choice for a personal space designed around colour and texture rather than restraint.
• Meditation or gallery space: the luminous stripe motif and the deep colour foundation make this a piece for a contemplative, art-aware room — a spiritual anchor with strong visual presence.

Bespoke Commissions

This design is part of our made-to-order Djoharian Design programme. Adjustable to your project:

• Size on request — any custom dimension
• Colour palette matched to Pantone or RAL specification, drawn from over 1,200 yarn shades
• Material — pure highland wool, wool-silk blends, or full silk
• Quality line — Naturals (60 kpsi) · Elegance (80) · Luxury (100) · Executive (150)
• 30 × 30 cm reference sample for sign-off before full production
• Lead time typically 4–6 months from order confirmation, depending on size

Details and personal consultation on our bespoke commissions page.

Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Responsible Sourcing · Label STEP

Djoharian is a Label STEP certified dealer for fair-trade knotted rugs — a commitment to dignified working conditions and against child labour in rug production. Visit the Label STEP entry for Djoharian Teppiche →

Djoharian — Since 1967

Founded in 1967, with roots in the Grand Carpet Bazaar of Tehran and more than five decades of experience in the international rug trade. Each piece is carefully selected, inspected and presented with the documentation a discerning buyer expects.

Service and Delivery

Every piece in the Djoharian Collection is expertly inspected in our atelier in Lohr am Main, professionally washed and shipped with a certificate of authenticity. Secure and fast worldwide shipping, fully insured, and personal consultation in our showroom or by video call.