Afghan Ersari Main Pile Carpet

Twenty-one medallions in three columns, and the red has not let up.

This Ersari main pile carpet comes from Afghanistan and dates to the early 20th century, made of wool. Ersari weavers, part of the Turkmen tradition, made large main carpets for the floors of family dwellings, where a carpet was both furnishing and a source of household pride. Three columns of octagonal medallions, or guls, quartered in black and brick red, march over a deep red field, linked by thin dark branching lines. A wide border of small diamonds frames them. Fringe shows at the ends. Roughly six and a half feet wide and nearly nine long.

Steady, unhurried and very red.