Object Description
This very elegant large antique fine quality Serapi Persian rug, early 20th century in date.
Woven at the turn of the century, this striking Persian Serapi oversize carpet is distinguished in several ways.
It’s expansive size, casually elegant botanical imagery, and splendid color palette, especially it’s deep cream field, are all attractive and rarely seen elements. Of particular note is the rug’s mesmerizing vermilion blue central medallion holding a fully open green-blue lotus blossom.
Provenance:
Bought at great expense in Beverly Hills in the late 1980s.
Condition:
In excellent condition with only very minor signs of wear, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 390 cm x Width 297 cm x Depth 2 cm
Dimensions in inches:
Height 12 foot, 9 inches x Width 9 foot, 9 inches x Depth 1 inch
Serapi carpets
include some of the most rare and desirable room-size to palace-size antique Persian rugs. Woven at the elevation of 6200 feet above sea level in the rugged mountains of Azerbaijan, Northwest Persia, antique Serapis are a distinct Heriz-region style, with finer knotting and more large-scale, spaciously placed designs than other rugs from this area. Antique Serapis have historically been the carpet of choice in early American state and federal buildings, including the White House. Today, our clients use graphic, casually elegant Serapi carpets in decors ranging from traditional to contemporary, Arts and Crafts, eclectic and postmodern.
Although it was the grandest of the Northwest Persian carpet types, the Serapi rug format is seldom seen after 1900, as the coarser, more replete with design Herizs were favored for export. Persian carpets had to be taken by their weavers to Serab, 30 miles distant, to be marketed. “Serapi” is not a place or tribal name; rather, it is a market term derived from “Serab-i,” meaning “of Serab.”
19th-century Serapi carpets combine design elements borrowed from many traditions. The bold geometric designs are probably connected to the tribal Caucasian traditions across the Aras River to the north. The elegant court carpets of Tabriz to the west certainly would have influenced the Serapi carpet weavers’ understanding of balance and the central medallion format. The great majority of antique Serapis are ennobled by a commanding, multi-lobed center medallion flanked by four corner pieces and a nature-inspired palette of breathtaking colors. Occasionally, Serapi rugs employ large-scale all-over patterns.
True Serapis from the 1800s were woven either on the family level or in small workshops with multiple weavers working many months to years to complete each piece. The weaving was done almost exclusively by women. They were highly skilled artisans who continually reinterpreted the design as they wove, creating highly spontaneous and inventive artistry. In general, workshop Serapis are more finely woven and formal, and Serapi carpets woven on a family level are more rustic and symbolic in design.
Our reference: A4588