Mashad rug

Mashad is situated in the far northeast of Persia and is the largest city of the ancient province of Khorosan. Like other eastern Persian carpet weaving groups, Mashad carpets of the 19th and early 20th century are known for their use of lac red dye procured from neighboring India. During the late 19th century, weavers and other artisans in Persia were increasingly influenced by European decorative arts, particularly French. The clusters of colorful roses drawn in both the field and border of this pleasing Mashad carpet are known in Persian as ‘gol-i farang,’ meaning “western rose.” This is the most popular European motif found in Persian carpets and was used by weavers across the Persian empire. Tones of rose, blue, gold, and green radiate in an almost abstract manner against an ivory field.