A Tableau Rug after Mahmoud Farshchian

This is a tableau rug — a pictorial composition woven to be hung and read like a painting rather than walked upon. The motif is based on a work by Mahmoud Farshchian, a contemporary painter in the Persian miniature tradition, whose lyrical, movement-filled compositions have been translated into hand-knotted rugs by Tabriz ateliers for decades. The scene shows a central female figure with a fawn, doves in flight, flowering branches and a swirling sky.

The piece is hand-knotted in Tabriz, in wool on a cotton foundation, at 60 raj (approx. 640,000 knots per m², approx. 413 kpsi).

The Tableau Tradition

A tableau (or tablou) rug is a textile picture. Unlike a floor rug, it is composed and oriented to be seen on the wall, often framed or hung as a centrepiece. The genre emerged in Iran in the late nineteenth century, drawing on the European tradition of pictorial tapestries while remaining technically a knotted carpet. Tabriz workshops produce tableau rugs after Persian miniatures, classical paintings and modern works such as Farshchian's.

Colour and Composition

The picture is set in an oval cartouche on a gold-ochre ground. At its centre, a young woman with long dark hair in flowing blue-and-white robes leans against a fawn, surrounded by white doves in flight. Flowering branches in coral and rose fill the left; swirling cloud-and-wind forms in royal blue and cream rise above; a fiery phoenix-like bird glows in orange and red at the lower right. The palette runs through gold-ochre, royal blue, cream and white, emerald and leaf-green, coral-rose and orange-red. At 60 raj the knotting allows detail in faces, feathers and drapery.

Placement and Display

At 80 × 105 cm (0.84 m²) the piece is sized for wall display. Three ways it shows best:

• Framed wall piece: mounted in a wood or metal box frame as a textile artwork — the way tableau rugs are most often presented.
• Hung as a centrepiece: on a single wall using a textile-friendly hanging system, read at conversational distance like a painting.
• Study or gallery wall: in a study or a considered interior, where the drawing rewards close looking.

Indirect light suits the wool surface best — strong direct sunlight should be avoided over the years to preserve colour saturation. The piece is not intended for floor use.

Specifications

Responsible Sourcing · Label STEP

Djoharian is a Label STEP certified dealer. For new rugs, Label STEP stands for fair wages and no child labour in rug production.

Djoharian — Since 1967

Our family business was founded in 1967, with roots in the Grand Carpet Bazaar of Tehran.

Service and Delivery

Every piece is inspected and professionally washed in our atelier in Lohr am Main. Insured worldwide shipping; personal consultation in our showroom or by video call. For later care, see our rug cleaning and restoration service. We also make bespoke rugs in your own size and colours.