Serapi rugs, Part 1

Fine antique oriental 19th-century Serapis include some of the most desirable and rare antique carpets in larger sizes. Woven in the rugged mountains of Northwest Persia, Serapis are a distinct Heriz region style of antique oriental rugs, with finer knotting and more large-scale spaciously placed designs than other rugs from this area.

Antique Oriental Serapi Rug

Although it was the grandest of the antique oriental carpets in the Heriz styles, Serapi style antique carpets are seldom seen after 1910, because of the remoteness of the mountains in Northwest Persia presented. Antique carpets had to be taken by their weavers to Serab, 30 miles distant, to be marketed. "Serapi" is not a place or tribal name; rather it is a market term derived from "Serab-i," meaning "of Serab".

Serapi antique carpets combine design elements borrowed from many traditions. The bold geometric designs are probably connected to the antique oriental carpet tradition of tribal Caucasians across the Aras River to the north. The elegant court carpets of Tabriz to the west certainly would have influenced the weavers' understanding of balance and the central medallion format of an antique oriental carpet.

Serapi antique carpets were woven on the level of a family or small workshop with multiple weavers working several years to complete each antique oriental carpet. The weaving was done almost exclusively by women. Highly skilled artisans, they continually reinterpreted the design as they wove, creating highly spontaneous and inventive artistry in each antique carpet. In general, the Serapi antique carpets made in small workshops are more finely woven and formal, and pieces woven on a family level are more rustic and symbolic in design.

The women of this area were master dyers able to deeply dye the superb, silky, local wool with a great range of soft-shaded or "abrashed" color. The wide palette of hues in the antique carpets came from many carefully brewed plants and minerals, colors for which the recipes are now lost. Watermelon to terra cotta tones came from madder root. The blue tones, from sky and aqua to periwinkle and deep navy, came from the indigo plant. Gold and yellow tones are from chamomile and a variety of other plants. The weavers also frequently used large areas of undyed and unbleached wool, whose ivory and camel tones provided contrast to the wide range of vegetable color in the antique oriental carpet.