Purple Oushak-Pattern Hand-Knotted Round Rug, Safir Series

Every motif on this rug has been cut around with shears after knotting, so the pattern stands slightly above the ground instead of sitting flush with it. Purple Oushak-Pattern Hand-Knotted Round Rug, Safir Series — hand-knotted in India, round, from 155 × 155 cm (5'1" × 5'1") to 200 × 200 cm (6'7" × 6'7"). Oushak — Uşak in Turkish — is a town and a weaving district in the Anatolian west, whose medallion-and-border drawing has been imitated since the sixteenth century.

01After the color

Here the motifs are redrawn at a modern scale and carried on a purple that sits close to lilac — a color that behaves oddly and usefully, going gray under a north window and warming toward wine under a filament bulb.

02From the hand of the weaver

The carving is what you notice second: run a hand across the surface and the border edges catch, because the pile has been trimmed down between the figures and left standing inside them. A dense knot count is what makes the carving possible; a loose weave would blur the moment the shears touched it.

03The Wool on the surface

Cotton, wool, bamboo viscose and viscose are used together, and the shine in the motifs comes from the two cellulose yarns rather than from any finish. A round rug is unforgiving about placement, so measure the circle against the furniture before it arrives. Professional washing only, and carving of this kind should never meet a stiff brush. Hand-knotted in India from cotton, wool, bamboo viscose and viscose. The motifs are cut in relief with shears after weaving, one figure at a time. Classical Oushak drawing, redrawn at a contemporary scale. Purple running toward lilac, which settles well next to gray and cream. A high knot count holds the detail the carving depends on. Round, from 155 × 155 cm (5'1" × 5'1") to 200 × 200 cm (6'7" × 6'7"). Professional washing; never brush the carved edges. What does a carved rug mean? Carving is a finishing operation.

04Knot by knot, by hand

After the rug is knotted, a weaver cuts down the pile around each motif with hand shears so the figures stand proud of the ground. It adds depth to the drawing and it can only be done on a densely knotted rug. In a room of gray upholstery and cream walls the purple is the only strong note on the floor, and the relief keeps it interesting long after the color has stopped being a surprise.