Red Vintage Zabul Rug
This red vintage zabul rug is a hand knotted Persian rug made in Iran from lamb wool, and it measures 292 x 206 cm.
The field is a deep red, almost crimson in places, with a dense scatter of small flowers in blue, gold, ivory and green. Our records note vegetable dyes. The strong red ground is the first thing you see, and the medallion holds the centre.
The design up close
A large diamond medallion fills the centre of the field. Its outer ring is ivory, followed by a navy band, and the middle panel is gold with a small blue and red rosette at its heart. Pointed ends reach toward the top and bottom of the field.
The corners are taupe and ivory, with small floral sprigs in blue and red. They sit in the red ground outside the medallion, so the red reads as a frame around the diamond. Across this red vintage zabul rug, the small flowers are set in close rows, with the same blue and gold repeated across the field.
The border is built from several narrow bands. A gold band with small geometric motifs runs along each side, with grey blue and navy stripes outside it and a red stripe on the inside where the border meets the field. A thin dark edge finishes the outside.
Persian rugs and where they are made
Persian rugs are hand knotted in Iran, and a Persian carpet is the same thing by another name. Weavers tie one knot at a time on a loom, usually from hand-spun wool and sometimes silk. A room-size piece can take a weaver many months, and no two are alike.
How a red vintage zabul rug is made
This red vintage zabul rug is hand knotted from lamb wool. Each flower in the field is formed by individual knots, so the small blue and gold blossoms have the uneven edges that hand knotting leaves. The red ground shifts slightly in shade from one area to the next.
Sizing it for your room
At 292 x 206 cm this red vintage zabul rug covers about 6.0 square metres. A three-seat sofa of around 2.2 m leaves about 36 cm of rug showing past each end, so the front legs of the sofa and any armchairs can rest on it around a coffee table.
In a dining room, a six-seat table of about 180 x 90 cm leaves roughly 56 cm of rug at each end and 58 cm along each side, enough room for chairs to pull out while they stay on the rug. The red field and blue flowers suit cream walls and timber floors.
Looking after your rug
Vacuum it on a suction-only setting, or with the beater bar switched off, so the brush does not pull at the knots. Turn it around every six to twelve months so sun and foot traffic wear it evenly. Blot spills with a clean white cloth and cold water rather than rubbing them in. When it needs a full clean, choose a cleaner who washes handmade rugs by hand.
Put a good underlay beneath it. It stops the rug sliding on timber or tiles, adds cushioning and takes some of the wear off the pile. Moths like wool in dark, quiet spots, such as the part of a rug under a sofa, so vacuum those areas often and lift the furniture now and then.
See it before you buy
Visit our showroom at 307 Penshurst St, North Willoughby, open every day from 11 am to 4:30 pm, to see this red vintage zabul rug in person. If you would rather judge it in your own room, with your own light and furniture, book an in-home viewing and we will bring a selection to you.
Browse more Persian Rugs, or ask about a custom made rug in your own size and colour. Read more about Persian carpets.
