Antique Kerman Kork wool rug, open field medallion, crimson & navy, c. 1930s — 237 × 302 cm — 1C1280

A beautiful antique Kerman rug from the 1930s, hand-knotted in the finest Kork wool in the most elegant and restrained format in the Kerman repertoire: the open field medallion, in which a vast plain crimson ground is interrupted only by a single large cusped medallion and its pendant, creating a composition of extraordinary visual calm and luxury. The deep crimson/ruby red field is largely open, with the drama concentrated entirely in the large cusped medallion floating at the center: a multi-lobed ivory form outlined in dark, its interior filled with a delicate floral scroll in sky blue, pale pink, olive green, and gold on an ivory ground. Below the medallion, a teardrop pendant in ivory and pale blue tapers to a point, tipped with a small pink floral ewer motif. The pile is the defining physical quality of this rug: the characteristic Kerman Kork wool with a distinctive velvet-like sheen. The border system is a masterpiece of layered precision: a wide ivory/pale blue inner sub-border with a continuous light floral scroll, framed by multiple narrow guard strips, and an outer deep navy main border with an elaborate arcade composition. At 237 × 302 cm, this is a generous room-size rug in a format and quality that is increasingly rare as the supply of genuine 1930s Kerman Kork wool pieces diminishes. Good antique condition with some signs of age. Field and medallion in very good condition; border shows some pile variation consistent with age; colors vivid throughout.