Early 20th Century Persian Mehraban Rug

Woven in the 1930s, this early 20th-century Persian Lilihan rug is a vibrant example of village craftsmanship from western Iran. Its central field features a mirrored floral pattern—...

A beautiful early 20th century Persian Sarouk rug with a large-scale mirrored floral pattern containing myriad floral clusters all woven in light and dark indigo, pink, white, and ye...

A gorgeous early 20th century Persian Sarouk rug with a large diamond floral medallion living admits a field of more flowers and leaves, and surrounded by a complex border of even mo...

A petite early 20th century Persian Sarouk rug with a mirrored floral pattern across the field, surrounded by a simple floral and scrolling vine patterned border, and all woven in tr...

This vintage Persian Sarouk with Traditional style rug features an intricate center medallion with two cartouche finials in a blue field surrounded by an all-over geometric pattern. ...

Sarouk is a name of a village situated about 25 miles north of Arak (Sultanabad). This region became one of the most active regions of carpet weaving in the late 19th century through the early 20th century. The city's most famous designer was named Farahan. To be able to compete with Kashan in rug commerce, Farahan designed rugs with center medallion motives. Today, these carpets are referred to as Antique 19th century Farahan Sarouks. In the 1920s and 1930s a well-known rug dealer in New York thought that Americans would buy rose-field carpets with blue borders and detached floral motives. During that period, a vast number of Sarouks with rose-fields and all over floral patterns were woven and exported to the American market. However, the natural dyed rose color did not stand up to the alkaline bath to which new rugs in Arak were subjected in the finishing process. The rose color faded radically. But instead of changing the finishing process or changing the composition of the dyes to stand up to alkali, New York merchants "solved" the problem by arming their staffs with synthetic dyes and little paint brushes with which they painted back in the rose-color in the entire fields of thousands and thousands of rugs and carpets over a period of 20 years. Today, Antique Sarouk rugs and carpets...

Persia, ca. 1910 Measures: 12'5" x 9'7" (378 x 292 cm) Handwoven.

An antique Persian Sarouk Farahan rug. From the late 19th century, this finely knotted scatter from the Arak weaving district has an ivory field carefully strewn with semi-realistic ...