Persian Antique Lavar Kerman Rug

Nothing here is at rest. Vines, loops and flowers keep running into one another.

This antique Lavar Kerman rug comes from Lavar City, Kerman, Persia, now Iran, and dates to the late 19th century. It is wool. Kerman has been a major Persian weaving center for centuries, making rugs for palaces, wealthy homes and export, and the name Lavar is generally attached to fine work from the area. A small red diamond holds the center of the field, wrapped in looping pale arabesques that divide it into flowered compartments of red, blue and ivory. Several borders of blossoms and leaves frame the whole. Ninety-two inches by 58.

It takes some time to find where anything begins.