Persian Gabbeh Rug with 3 Diamond Motif and Alternating Floral Border

Three dark diamonds on a pole, like beads on a very patient string.

This Gabbeh rug is from Persia, present day Iran, early to mid 20th century, in all wool. Gabbehs were the working rugs of nomadic and village households in Persia, deep in pile and woven for warmth underfoot more than for the bazaar. Three deep brown diamonds line up along a central axis on a camel field, with small star flowers floating to either side. Around them runs a gray border of alternating blossoms. Seventy-three inches long, forty-two across.

The color drifts across the field in soft bands, as good wool tends to.