Sickle Leaf Area Rug, Hand-Knotted Wool, Floral, 9x12, Stone & Indigo

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Description

A hand-knotted area rug in the sickle-leaf design, woven in Afghanistan on a soft stone-grey ground with indigo, cream, chocolate, … Read more A hand-knotted area rug in the sickle-leaf design, woven in Afghanistan on a soft stone-grey ground with indigo, cream, chocolate, forest green, brick and camel. Hand-spun wool on a cotton foundation, knotted by hand.

The sickle leaf is one of the great classical carpet patterns and among the most demanding to draw — long serrated leaves that sweep across the field in a single unbroken curve, each one carried over dozens of knots without a break in the line. Here they arc in pairs across the whole width of the rug in indigo, cream, brown and green, alternating with flowering vases, palmettes and octagonal knot-work medallions.

The wool has a soft lustre and a dense, even pile. The stone ground shifts gently across the field with the natural movement of hand-spun yarn, which keeps such a large-scale design from reading as flat colour. A wide main border carries scrolling cloudbands and palmettes in indigo, camel and black, framed by fine floral guard stripes, and both ends finish in the original hand-tied fringe with coloured accents.

Hand-knotted with a full even pile throughout, no wear, no repairs, no odour. Selvedges and fringes are intact and original.

Measuring 108 by 144 inches, this is a true 9 by 12 — a room-size carpet that will hold an entire living room with every piece of furniture on the rug, or a dining table for ten. The scale of the drawing suits a large room with high ceilings, where a fine allover pattern would disappear, and the muted stone ground keeps a bold design calm enough to live with. See less