Antique Persian Tabriz Rug, Country of Origin: Persia, Circa Date 1900 – The field of this exquisitely detailed antique Tabriz consists of a concentric series of hexagonal medallions. These are defined only by zig-zag outlines and changes in ground color from light to darker tan, and back again. The interior designs of the medallions consist entirely of a small-scale Herati or Mahi Mahi design, a trellis of small flowers, leaves and vines, spread continuously and uniformly across the field. The medallion outlines are literally overlaid onto the Herati mesh and distinguished further by alternations in ground color.
The main border is the classic Persian Harshang pattern or rounded palmettes and whirling vines with heaves, which harmonizes nicely in scale and form with the Herati field, though providing a different pattern. It is flanked by additional floral minor borders so that the effect of the border system as a whole is large enough to the balance the grandly scaled medallions of the field. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the carpet is its color, which though full of effective contrasts, consist only of two shades of tan and two of cocoa.