The Oriental Collection - Catalog - Page 34
REZAS VILL AGE RUGS
Klardasht
Klardasht is a small village situated in the north of Iran, south of the Caspian Sea,
near the Alborz mountains. Rugs from this area are striking due to the large differences to other rugs from the surrounding area. They feature large swaths of single
colours with little or no ornamentation, which are interrupted only by small patches
of contrasting colours that seemingly jump off the rug.
The motifs normally consist of a hexagon surrounded by white primitive lines and
sometimes even a scarab in the middle. On the centre and on the border of the rug,
there are decorative figures together with flowers. The background colour is often
blocked with dark blue and brown as dominating colours. The pile is made of thick,
soft wool, with a warp of cotton and Turkish knots.
Today, the rugs are very durable and long-lasting, but generally the quality of these
rugs vary. Before 1960, they were good quality but between 1965 - 1980 the quality
sank as western collectors forced the weavers to modify their patterns and colours.
After the revolution in 1979, the quality started to improve. Today, the quality is at the
same level as it was in the mid 1900s, both when it comes to design, colours and
knots. Their knot densities range from 150,000 - 250,000 knots per sqm.
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