Multicolor Floral Oushak Hand-Knotted Wool Rug

Eight to ten months at the loom produced it. Multicolor Floral Oushak Hand-Knotted Wool Rug — curling vine work and medallion forms drawn in navy, beige and earth tones over a warm red-brown ground, knotted by hand in wool, 196 × 272 cm (6'5" × 8'11"). A single piece at the end of all that time.

The motifs interlock rather than repeat cleanly, so the field gives up something new every time it is looked at properly; the borders run rows of small flowers and geometric transitions that close the composition without raising their voice. Red-brown is a difficult ground to place and an easy one to live with — at the far end of a room in the evening it goes nearly black, and in daylight it comes back warm and slightly dusty. The wool is soft enough to fold the rug down to parcel size, which says more about the yarn than any adjective could.

Density is what this piece is really about. A tight knot count is why it will keep its rectangle for decades and why the drawing stays sharp where a looser weave would let it blur; put a hand flat on the pile and the resistance is immediate. The surface is wool throughout, and the shine in it belongs to the fiber rather than to any finish. It will take furniture standing on it without crushing under the legs. Have it washed professionally.

• Hand-knotted in wool over eight to ten months.
• Warm red-brown ground with navy, beige and earth-toned vine work and medallions.
• Small flower rows and geometric transitions in the borders.
• A tight knot count — the reason the rug holds its rectangle.
• 196 × 272 cm (6'5" × 8'11"), suited to a sitting room, a bedroom or an office.
• Takes furniture legs without crushing.
• Have it washed professionally.

Ten years from now the red-brown will have gone a shade quieter and the navy will look as if it had always been that dark.