Hand-knotted Qom Persian Rug in Silk, 80 × 57 cm

A hand-knotted Qom rug from Iran, 80 × 57 cm. Qom weaving began in the early twentieth century and works to a drawn cartoon rather than from memory, which is why the layouts come out so exact. The stated density is 400,000-499,999 knots/sqm; over 0.46 m² that is roughly 205,000 knots, a solid workshop density. Pile 100% silk, warp 100% silk. A silk pile shifts tone as you move past it — the same field reads light from one side of the room and dark from the other. Small enough (80 × 57 cm) that the weave can be read from close up. Proportion 1.4:1. This is the only example of this rug; when it is gone the size and drawing do not repeat.