Description
Antique handwoven Malayer rug from central Persia. Similar to Sarouk carpets but with more varied range of colors.
Difficult to find 17 ft. !!!! narrow Persian runner.
Fantastic boteh icon repeating motif! This pattern is known as Paisley in the West — and was ‘borrowed’ from Persian and Indian textiles by the British. The Asian boteh icon dates back two thousand years.
Traditional Persian boteh design rendered in superb detail.
Excellent condition with some limited wear from decades of use. No holes or weak areas.
Fascinating old Persian classic runner! 1940s – 1950s
Rugs of the Malayer region are known for their creativity and quality, and are highly regarded by collectors. Malayer (also Malayir) is south of Hamadan and west of the Arak — Sarouk rug producing area.
Mesmerizing art for your floor! Woven on a hand loom by a talented weaver.
The side cords and cotton fringes are in good shape.
An imaginative oriental rug! Woven from natural wool and cotton.
Malayer weavers work mainly in floral and Herati designs like Lilihan and Sarouk rugs.
Exact size is 17 ft. by 3 ft. 2 in.
Last photo with the antique Morgan silver dollar shows the back of the rug.
This is a very solid carpet that can be used in a high foot traffic area of the home. No holes, weak areas, etc.
Boteh figures have a prominent role in the history of rugs and textiles. This pattern, which has also appeared in India, has been popular in Persian carpets for several centuries.
Copied by the British textile industry, the design is known as Paisley, named after the Scottish town which produced the textiles in mass. The boteh served as a key element in Persian rugs long before the British borrowed it for their textiles.
The boteh, which can look like leaves, drops of water, little cobras, tadpoles, and many other figures, may date all the way back to Zoroastrianism.
Wikipedia posts the following on the origins of the boteh:
“Some design scholars believe it is the convergence of a stylized floral spray and a cypress tree: a Zoroastrian symbol of life and eternity. Paisley is the quintessential visual metaphor of Iran’s bifurcated and tormented identity – riven between Arabic Islam and pre-Islamic Persian creeds. It is a bent cedar, and the cedar is the tree Zarathustra planted in paradise. The heavenly tree was “bent” under the weight of the Arab invasion and Muslim conquest of Persia. The “bent” cedar is also the sign of strength and resistance but modesty.
The floral motif was originated in the Sassanid Dynasty and later in the Safavid Dynasty of Persia (from 1501 to 1736), and was a major textile pattern in Iran during the Qajar and Pahlavi Dynasties. In these periods, the pattern was used to decorate royal regalia, crowns, and court garments, as well as textiles used by the general population.
According to Azerbaijani historians, the design comes from ancient times of Zoroastrianism and is an expression of the essence of that religion. It subsequently became a decorative element widely used in Azerbaijani culture and architecture.”
Please email me with questions. Thank you.
Shipping is $69 with FedEx within the continental U.S. Or possible pickup with arrangement in Northern California — East Bay Area.
Contact me for more information or to set up a viewing. Thank you.
(MY0058 N1)
