Soft underfoot and carrying a century of Kurdish weaving tradition. This antique Persian Kurdish runner dates to the early 1900s and was woven on a wool foundation with a lush, soft wool pile. It's got meat on the bone and it's going to genuinely feel luxurious underfoot. The ground color is a warm brick-rust red, and shifts in character depending on the light and orientation, reading warmer and more brick-toned in some light, cooler and richer in others. That's not a flaw. This Persian tribal runner also showcases abrash: the natural, beautiful tonal variation that occurs in hand-spun, vegetable-dyed wool as dye lots shift across the loom. It's one of the most beloved qualities in antique tribal rugs and a marker of authentic hand craftsmanship.
The field is covered in an allover repeating shrub motif: small, rhythmic, and endlessly satisfying to look at, and the all-over pattern will fill a hallway or other space with warmth and movement. And then there's the detail that makes this runner truly singular: two barber-pole like stripe motifs that appear nowhere else on the rug but in one part and they're a distinctive, identifying feature. It's a weaver's flourish, a moment of personality, and a conversation starter.
Kurdish weavers from western Persia, primarily from the mountainous regions of Kermanshah, Bijar, and surrounding villages, were among the most technically skilled and artistically expressive tribal weavers of their era. Their rugs are known for exceptional wool quality (often using the fleece of highland sheep grazed in harsh mountain conditions, which produces a particularly dense and lustrous fiber), rich vegetable-dyed palettes, and bold, unhurried tribal designs. Kurdish runners in particular are prized for their durability and tactile richness.
The runner measures 3'10 × 12'3. Note also that as with all genuinely old handmade rugs, the width has a slight natural variance from end to end, this is completely normal and expected in antique hand-knotted weavings and part of what makes each one one-of-a-kind. One area has been professionally restored and rewoven; expertly done, with only a slight, variance in wool tone visible upon close inspection. Check out the short video clip and you'll see what I am really talking about.
The structure is sound and the runner is ready to be lived on for another century.
The Rug Rundown…
the wool…the weave…the wear
Size: 3'10 × 12'3 with slight width variance
Material: Vegetable dyed wool pile on a wool foundation.
Construction: Hand-knotted, nice wool pile.
Age: Early 1900s
Design: Allover shrub field on brick-rust ground; barber-pole stripe accent motifs; tribal border in navy and ivory
Condition: Great overall with one professionally restored area; slight wool tone variance at repair. Sound structure throughout. Beautiful abrash throughout the field.
:: Please consider a rug pad for this old beauty, to keep it protected and wiggle free. Click below if you want to add one at BPR and we will custom cut it to size:
Extra Long Runner Rug Pad
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