Qum, Hereke & Isfahan
Silk Sunburst Dome Medallion in the Qum Manner
Silk Rugs · Representative imagery
A representative all-silk carpet whose radiating star medallion blossoms outward like the interior of a mosque dome, layered rings of palmettes and arabesque petals in blue, gold and soft green. The surrounding field of small floral cartouches frames the luminous central burst, a composition celebrated in the silk workshops of Qum and Isfahan. Knotted entirely in silk at very high knot counts, the surface catches the light so the medallion appears to glow and shift with the angle of view.
The tradition
Qum, Hereke & Isfahan
Silk rugs represent the finest end of the knotted tradition. Woven in centres such as Qum and Isfahan in Iran and Hereke in Turkey, they use silk for both the foundation and the pile, allowing extraordinarily high knot counts and a level of detail impossible in wool.
Silk's natural sheen makes these rugs shift in colour as you move around them, so a silk carpet reads almost like a changing painting — often hung or used as a showpiece rather than walked on.
Motifs & meaning
Reading the design
Silk rugs carry the classical court repertoire, rendered in the finest possible detail.
Central medallion
The garden pool or dome at the heart of the design.
Fine floral vinework
Scrolling arabesques of the Persian garden.
Hunting & garden scenes
Paradise imagery from the court tradition.
Prayer niche (Hereke)
The directional arch of the finest Turkish silks.
Materials & technique
How it is made
Hand-knotted entirely in silk at very high knot counts, giving the luminous sheen, fine detail and jewel-like colour that define the finest rugs.
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