Tabriz
is an ancient city in north-western Iran, and the most prolific of all
handwoven rugs centers. The quality in their handwoven rugs is generally exceptional, with
most on a base of fine cotton, but sometimes on pure silk. There are many
unique designs but typically the pattern in a Tabriz rug is filled with
dense floral motifs, large palmettos, vases, or vivid hunting scenes or
pictorials in the field. These can be with or without a medallion, and
geometric designs are also seen. Tabriz has sub-styles as well. These
include the restrained and elegant 'Mahi' in coordinated borders of subdued
tones that fit in anywhere; the Naqsheh, with its plethora of pinks on
beige, or very occasionally, black; and the wild but beautiful Tabatabaie,
always in touches of orange, lemon green and beige. The finer Naqsheh and
Mahi are mostly in highly-priced Kurk wool, and silk is often used to
outline lavishly the highlights of the rug.
Construction of Tabriz Rugs
The material used for the pile of these rugs are wool, silk, or a
combination of the two. A beautiful blend of fine Kurk wool and silk is the
most common in a fine Tabriz, with wool only used in those of average
quality. In the very finest handwoven rugs, the foundation of the rug is pure silk
instead of cotton, and some even have 18 or 24 karat gold threads woven into
the foundation, with 300 to 800 KPSI not being uncommon. The only rugs that
can be compared with a fine Tabriz are Isfahans, Kashans, Kermans, Qums, and
Nains. Most spectacular are the Nagsheh (some of the many hundreds of
beautiful patterns are still owned by private families), the intricate,
restrained Mahi (the Decorator's handwoven rugs), or the magnificent Dome, depicting
the internal architecture of a mosque.
Tabriz
is an ancient city in north-western Iran, and the most prolific of all
handwoven rugs centers. The quality in their handwoven rugs is generally exceptional, with
most on a base of fine cotton, but sometimes on pure silk. There are many
unique designs but typically the pattern in a Tabriz rug is filled with
dense floral motifs, large palmettos, vases, or vivid hunting scenes or
pictorials in the field. These can be with or without a medallion, and
geometric designs are also seen. Tabriz has sub-styles as well. These
include the restrained and elegant 'Mahi' in coordinated borders of subdued
tones that fit in anywhere; the Naqsheh, with its plethora of pinks on
beige, or very occasionally, black; and the wild but beautiful Tabatabaie,
always in touches of orange, lemon green and beige. The finer Naqsheh and
Mahi are mostly in highly-priced Kurk wool, and silk is often used to
outline lavishly the highlights of the rug.