3 x 5 - Red Antique Persian Sarouk Rug - 79699

79699 Antique Persian Sarouk Rug, 03'04 x 04'11.

The Eternal Fountain: An Antique Persian Sarouk Masterpiece of Timeless Grace

This hand knotted wool antique Persian Sarouk rug from the early 20th century presents a captivating interpretation of the Persian vase tradition, composed across a luminous coral-red field with the poised symmetry associated with distinguished Sarouk craftsmanship. Ornamental vases rise along the central axis as symbolic fountains of life, releasing flowers, branches, and palmettes into the surrounding space. In Persian decorative art, the iconic vase motif embodies abundance, fruitfulness, prosperity, and nature’s inexhaustible gifts. Here, each vessel becomes a source from which the exceptional composition flourishes, expressing the desire for wealth, spiritual growth, and a household blessed across generations.

Shah Abbasi palmettes lend the field its courtly character, their fan-shaped profiles descended from lotus and lily forms celebrated in Safavid-era design. The lotus signifies purity, spiritual rebirth, and immortality, while the lily carries associations with transcendence. Hyacinths appear as clustered blossoms along branching stems, recalling one of Iran’s cherished heralds of spring. Their connection with Nowruz, the Persian New Year, gives them associations with regeneration, youth, fresh beginnings, and the perpetual spring of Paradise. Rosettes introduce another layer of meaning, their radial petals evoking cosmic beauty, mystery, and divine order.

Serrated leaves and curling vines extend outward from the principal motifs, filling the field with an animated rhythm of growth. In Persian symbolism, foliage speaks to endless regeneration and the continuity of life, while interconnected stems suggest one generation flowing into the next. The design’s striking vertical arrangement creates the impression of a cultivated paradise unfolding from vessel to blossom, then returning through mirrored forms toward its source. Deep indigo, sapphire blue, and earthen accents heighten the jewel-like quality of the ornament, giving this intimate carpet an unexpectedly commanding presence.

A sumptuous floral border surrounds the composition against a dark navy ground, where repeating rosettes form a rhythmic perimeter of beauty and symbolic protection. Botanical meandering guard borders add further refinement, enclosing the central imagery within successive bands of ornament and metaphorically preserving the blessings held inside. Rich in Persian iconography and endowed with the patina of age, this antique Sarouk offers the connoisseur a rare union of artistry and meaning—an exquisite work of art whose vase imagery transforms prosperity, eternal spring, and cultivated elegance into an extraordinary masterpiece with an enduring expression of prestige.

• Abrash.
• Hand knotted wool.
• Made in Iran.
• Measures: 03'04 x 04'11.
• Pile Height: 0.21 of an inch.
• Date: 1920's. Early 20th Century.