RAREST OF RARE | C. 1880's | ANCIENT MINT CONDITION ANTIQUE SERAPI | Unusually Oversized Narrow GEM w/ Gorg Natural Dyes | 8.3 x 15.1

* All of our antique & vintage rugs are professionally cleaned prior to being listed.*

Name: RAREST OF RARE | ANCIENT MINT CONDITION ANTIQUE PERSIAN SERAPI | Unusually Oversized w/ GORG Natural Dyes 

Size:  8.3 x 15.1

Age: Antique; C. 1880's

Pile: Low/Medium with sensational age-related patina. This piece is in fully MINT-restored condition. We had master weavers re-weave this piece and revive this ancient old piece to as close to its original form as possible. Now it looks untouched and completely original with complete ends/fringe and complete bindings.  

About: Where on planet EARTH will you ever find another piece like this? The size isn't even my favorite part, although it's hard not to be astonished by its shape.  Its colors aren't even my favorite part, although century-old vegetable dyes that have perfectly matured over time really cannot get any better than this.  It is, alas, the design that steals my heart and I don't even want it back!!! It is amongst the most NAIVE and IMAGINATIVE designs I've ever seen.  This piece is the poster child of spontaneous weaving.  It is the epitome of emotional knots being tied a moment at a time based on mood and imagination.  As you navigate the piece you start to realize that it all started in the mind and through the heart, it manifested into this very textile.  Raw materials; wooden loom, flora, plants, minerals, and vegetables meet a vat that sits on fire with water inside waiting for the master dyers to create yet another masterpiece - for the art of dyeing wool is unfortunately ALWAYS overlooked - yet it is no different in importance as the magic that the Italian grandmothers create in the kitchen while sourcing and prepping ingredients, and creating their never-shared secret marinara recipes for the entire family and even neighborhood or village to enjoy.  This piece has a lovely floppy handle with a bit more body than the Southwest Qashqai pieces, but not as stiff or meaty as the normal Heriz pieces are woven not too far from where this piece was born.  I look at each geometric flower and notice how magnificently it lacks perfection.  For a moment I get to sit inside the weaver's mind and see what she sees in her dreams as she inhales her environment through her eyes and exhales her art through her fingers to create this tribal masterpiece that is truly unspeakable.  The asymmetry throughout the entirety of this rug is reminiscent of a scene in nature sitting by a creek with birds making noises in the trees above, leaves subtly rustling in the wind and the suns rays glistening through the branches of the trees highlighting each grass blades tip a different shade of green - you think you are alone, but you are in fact engulfed and immersed in nature.  And even though you are still, more life and activity is happening in and around you than ever before - we just have to stop and listen, see, and be.  The human elements in these rugs always remind me just how precious life is, and just how this experience is really a miracle.  And I can't help but think about women sitting down laboriously creating the most beautiful art well over a century ago with organic and natural dyes all derived by the environment around them - and this rug is somehow magically here in front of our very eyes to remind us it is old objects like this that connect strangers, artists, humans alike.  And before we know it, this piece will be living another life with another soul for 10, 20, 50 years and then it'll be off to another life, and another story, and all because 4-6 women created a dream and vision inspired by nature into a tangible textile? This is the splendor of antique rugs, and I hope the time you took to read this, if nothing else, brings a sort of calmness to your soul the way art and nature should. It, of course, is no coincidence for you to be here right now reading this, and being reminded of that never gets old. People like us are cut from the same cloth as the weavers back then - we appreciate the unspeakable essence of life. 

Warmest regards,

Hemad 

This rug is one-of-a-kind, only one available.

Because of the nature and age of these older/antique handmade pieces, irregularities and age-related wear are likely to exist and are not considered defects.

Any questions about this rug? Don't hesitate to reach out!

We always recommend a high-quality custom cut pad for any and all rugs; these pads are made for hand-knotted rugs. They create a body and support the knots of the rug, as well as prevent it from slipping and sliding.

A note from us to you: Buying a rug is special; it's not just you finding the rug, but also the rug finding you. Think about the many coincidences that have to occur for you to find the rug of your dreams. Our rugs are woven by nomads in the villages and remote mountainous regions of the major rug weaving districts across the world. All of our rugs are genuinely old and one-of-a-kind. Like anything old and unique, they are filled with character, soul, and story. The story of a rug is something we think about a lot; who was the weaver(s)? Did they weave it for personal use, commerce, to gift, or trade? Who was the second owner, and the third!? Sometimes the little motifs and symbols in rugs can help tell the story, but we will never truly know - there's something beautiful about that. Alas, our joy is to curate these incredible pieces that speak to us, and to pass them along to their new owners to be enjoyed and cherished for many years to come; both continuing to add to the story of the rug, and to the story of the new owners.

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