Gabbeh Rug in Hand Spun Wool, Zagros Mountains Iran, c1970

This is a large vintage Gabbeh rug, hand-knotted in wool in the nomadic weaving tradition of Iran's Zagros Mountains region, dated to around 1970.

Gabbeh rugs are woven by nomadic and semi-nomadic groups across the Zagros region, including Qashqai weavers, and this piece is broadly consistent with that tradition. However, we cannot confirm the individual weaver or exact group with certainty. The style favours a coarse, thick pile and an open field with simplified motifs, in contrast to the dense, symmetrical patterning of city-made Persian rugs, with each piece shaped by the weaver's own choices rather than a fixed design. Here, a single animal figure sits at the centre of an open red field, bordered by a run of smaller figures along the edge. What the motifs meant to the weaver is not something we can state with confidence, but the open composition and hand-spun wool are typical of the style.

The rug has been professionally cleaned and is in excellent vintage condition. The pile is thick and full, the colours remain vivid, and it is structurally sound.

Dimensions are 340 x 253cm. Hand-knotted in hand-spun wool, with the colour variation across the red field typical of natural dyeing.

A substantial rug suited to a large living space. Available to view in our Torquay studio.