Blue Oushak Hand-Knotted Wool Rug, Şahzade Series

Şahzade Series Blue Oushak Rug, wool knotted by hand — a deep blue ground worked with fine branches and with flower and rosette motifs in brick orange, red and cream, so that the warm colors look lit against the dark. Made in Afghanistan over a cotton foundation, 216 × 305 cm (7'1" × 10'0"). One piece.

The border is wide and divided into narrow compartments that repeat the flowered order of the field, and a striped edging and multicolored fringes close it. Dark blue is the ground that makes warm colors behave — the same brick orange on a cream field would be loud, and here it is simply bright. In a white room with nothing else in it the blue alone is the event; with brick and red cushions and warm wood the whole thing turns into a color argument that resolves.

Knotted in Afghanistan, by hand, with the knot doubled, which puts production in months rather than weeks. Wool makes up the whole pile. Below it the base is cotton, plus a modest share of recycled synthetic thread that carries the tension — out of sight, and stated because the two layers are not the same thing. The pile is short and closely set, so there is little to shed and little for dust to settle into. A professional wash when it needs one.

• Hand-knotted in Afghanistan; doubled knots, months of weaving.
• Wool pile above a cotton base that carries a modest share of recycled synthetic thread.
• Deep blue ground with brick orange, red and cream flowers and rosettes.
• A wide compartmented border, a striped edging, multicolored fringes.
• 216 × 305 cm (7'1" × 10'0") — a large sitting room or a dining room.
• Short, close-set pile with little to shed.
• A professional wash when it needs one.

Blue grounds hold their color longer than red ones do, which is the quiet argument for buying this rather than the obvious one.