Antique Serapi carpet

Object Description

A magnificent and rare antique Serapi carpet, over 150 years old and in remarkable original condition.  The bold graphic design of leaves and large scale floral patterns are classic designs from these early Heriz carpets woven in the north-west of Persia, known as Serapi.  The large scale border pattern is a famous large scale pattern often known as the turtle design, see if you can find the turtles! The deep blue, almost black dyes in the main background enhance the natural ivory dyes and vivid pale blues, orange tones and greens.  These early dyes are what make early Serapi carpets so desirable and collectable across the world today.

This rare Serapi has provenance too, as it used to reside at Sutton Place in Surrey, a Grade I Tudor house made famous as Paul Getty used to live there.

As an early tribal carpet, the size is slightly unusual as it is quite narrow, also to note the width at one end is 288 cm and the other end it is 279 cm.  So a difference of 8 centimetres, which we often see in tribal antique carpets.

Visit our barn showroom by appointment, open Monday to Saturday 9.30-5.30pm or request a home viewing to see this early antique Serapi carpet up close with a private viewing in situ.  We travel all over the UK showing all of our carpets and rugs in customers homes.

Object Literature

Antique Serapi carpets are more intricate finer tribal weavings of the Heriz region hand-woven by Azerbaijan Turkish inhabitants close to the city of Heriz in North-West Persia. They are famous among collectors because of their vivid vegetable dyes or soft earth tones that are woven on a geometric pattern. In terms of design, drawing, and coloration as well, Serapi carpets are clearly part of one and the same tradition as Heriz, despite being a distinct antique rug style, which originated as a Northwest Persian adaptation of early Sarouk Farahan medallion, but with a more geometric, abstract, village sensibility.

Like Heriz, Serapi carpets have a multiple concentric medallion format that emits jutting branches or vines ending in large stylised palmettes, leaves, or flowers, with framing cornerpieces at the periphery of the field. The main border is usually some variant of the ‘turtle’ vinescroll pattern. In terms of design, what distinguishes Serapis from Heriz carpets is once again their more refined approach. The articulation of the medallions is crisper, more finely linear, and open, the highest grade in terms of weave, and very probably the oldest type in terms of age. Heriz carpets are generally coarsely woven with as few as 30 knots per square inch. They also have a deeply depressed warp structure with a markedly ribbed back surface. Since the early twentieth century they have come to make use of light blue cotton wefting. Serapis, in contrast, have a higher knot count, sometimes attaining 80 knots per square inch. Their backs are relatively flat, and they have ivory cotton wefting. Generally they have a softer floppier handle than Heriz, and they are thinner to handle.

On the whole, it appears that what we call Serapi carpets are simply the oldest, most well-designed, and finely woven Heriz carpets with softer colours than the 1900-1930 pieces.

Object Condition

Condition is very good, with a medium wool pile height all over this tribal masterpiece.  Some old areas of preservation/restoration are visible mainly at the fringe area, but no major repairs or damage in the main body of the carpet.  A rare and collectable Serapi, these early carpets still command high prices in the US and across the world in top auction houses.

Object Details