Persian Rug Design
Persian carpet designs usually contain floral motifs, with vines and pendants found in the several borders of the rug. There is often a contrast in colour between the borders and field of the rug. Blues, reds, browns and greens are common in Persian rug design.
Persian Carpet Designs
Many Persian rugs contain medallions, and the ‘Shah Abbasi’ medallion is particularly common. Medallions of this style always contain a lily in the centre which is linked to the outside of the medallion only by vine tendrils.
Isfahan Rugs
Isfahan is a city with beautiful mosques, palaces and carpets, and the inspiration for Persian rug design in this region comes from these buildings. The Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque is a particularly famous, and the interior mosaic tile design of the dome is often depicted in central medallions in the carpets.
Isfahan carpets are finely knotted and made of many different colours. Each carpet contains at least 15 colours, with common colours including turquoise, navy, red and beige. The carpets contain 2-5 minor borders which together create a large frame for the carpet.
Nain Rugs
Nain is a small town near Isfahan, and the Persian rug design across these two areas is vary similar. Nain only began producing carpets relatively recently, with production switching from cloth to carpet weaving in the 1930s. Central medallions are less common here than in Isfahan. Animals and plant designs are woven into the carpet, with birds being a particularly common motif. Colours are beige, ivory, white, light green and azure.
Kashan Rugs
The city of Kashan is one of the best producers of Persian carpets, combining high quality wool with fine weaving. It is also famous for weaving all silk rugs. The Persian knot is used in this city.
Kashan rugs vary in style, but are usually composed of floral patterns with a central medallion. The field colour is often red or dark blue, with other rich colours forming the patterns. When a medallion is part of the design it is usually navy with a red background.
Kerman Rugs
Kerman is famous for its pictorial carpets, as they are rare in Persian rug design, although floral designs are more common. Persian carpets produced in Kerman are created from fine wool using the Persian knot. These rugs contain 15-20 colours, with older rugs being red, or red-blue.
More recent rugs contain pastel colours. A village near Kerman produces Kerman ‘Ravar’ carpets. These Persian carpets combine central medallions with floral designs.
Shiraz Rugs
The Persian rugs from Shiraz are known for a centrally placed diamond shaped medallion. This diamond can be found alone, or repeated a few times. The diamond is usually blue, with a red background. The rest of the rug is decorated with plant and flower motifs. Borders created from a number of narrow bands are common in this region. The Persian carpets from this region are very soft, and can rarely be used on the floor.
Tabriz Rugs
Rugs from Tabriz, located in Azerbaijan, are good quality, finely knotted carpets with diverse patterns. They usually feature a central medallion surrounded by flowers and tendrils. The Turkish knot dominates the Persian carpet design of this region. Shah Abbasi medallions are found.
Colours used in Tabriz are diverse, but pastel colours are particularly favoured. Red and blue are common background colours, although yellow is sometimes used and is made from the saffron flower which grows in this region.