DepartmentTextiles-Middle East

Flatweave Carpet (Gelim / Kilim)

NameFlatweave Carpet (Gelim / Kilim)

Artist Artist Not Recorded

Dateca. 1915

Place madeVaramin/Veramin, TEHRAN, Iran, Middle East or West Asia, Asia

Mediumwool

Dimensions69 1/4 × 158 in. (175.8954 × 401.3208 cm)

Credit LineGift of Marvin J. Hand Jr.

Object numberA.2024.2.5

Provenancedonor purchased these textiles from various sources (bazaars, rug dealers, etc.) in the 1970s while living in Iran

DescriptionThis rug features a characteristic composition from Veramin, an important gelim-weaving center located about 30 miles SE of Tehran. Classic weft-faced slit tapestry weave. Diagonally off-set hexagonal repeat with color arrangement emphasizing pattern of diagonal lines across main field. Border of stepped and conjoined diamond repeats. Improvisational filler motifs between border and field. An isolated instance of extra weft contouring around one motif at one end. Double row of continuous supplementary weft twining in blue and white at one end and another in red and blue at other. Warp: Z spun 2 ply S twist undyed wool. Many warps are created using two-ply twists of dark and light tones of natural wool (sometimes referred to as “salt and pepper”). Ends finished using multiple methods, including simple loose warps, grouped and knotted warps, and grouped and braided warps. Sides reinforced with two rows of extra parallel wrapping in brown and orange. Interior side borders also created with row of extra parallel wrapping in orange. Not fully reversible with a few floating weft pick-ups and knots on one side.

Deep color palette taking advantage of undyed shades of brown and white wool, natural indigo blues and teals (indigo over yellow), and orangey reds (maybe cochineal or madder).