page_title: Kerman carpet
section_title: Designs and motifs of the Kerman region
hierarchical_section_title: Kerman carpet / Designs and motifs of the Kerman region
caption_attribution_description: English: Antique Persian Kerman Rug
context_page_description: Kerman carpets are one of the traditional classifications of Persian carpets. Kerman is both a city and a province located in south central Iran, though the term sometimes describes a type which may have been made elsewhere.
  Kerman rugs are prized for a wide range of designs, a broad palette, use of natural dyes and fibers, great tensile strength and abrasion resistance, and expert color combinations. Typical manufacturing used an asymmetrical knot on cotton foundation, but rare examples include silk or part silk piles, or silk foundations with wool pile.
context_section_description: Because of the tremendous demand for rugs produced in Kerman and the complex demographics of this demand, a surprising variety of styles and designs were produced. Some Kerman rugs were woven explicitly for monied buyers from the West, some for local consumers with very different tastes.
  Damask Rose is the most popular motif in Kerman rug designs, particularly in "Sabzikar Ravar" and "Gol Sorkhi" (Red Rose) rugs. 
  Other well-known motifs are "Ghab Ghora'ani", "Setooni", "Ghabi", "Kheshti", "Saraam Atiyeh", "Jangali", "Shekargah" and "Lachak-Toranj". Kerman antique carpets often use the Toranj motif border of margins and narrow lines. Floral patterns woven into Kerman carpets in the 19th century are derived from the patterns of Kerman shawls, also made in Kerman at this time. 
  A distinct variation of Kerman carpets is the Lavar or Ravar Kerman. These carpets were produced in Ravar village next to Kerman city in the northern region and are known particularly for their fine weave and elegant, classically derived design of allover and central medallion formats. Most Ravar or Lavar Kerman carpets include a signature, either that of the weaver or the person for whom the carpet was woven. 
  Vase carpets, a type of Kerman rug distinctive of the 16th and 17th centuries, are characterized by an allover pattern of stylized flowers and oversized palmettes with vases placed throughout the field.
  Kerman carpets of the 18th century and later very often use "lattice" patterns, with the central field divided by a lattice design giving many small compartments. A notable illustration is a carpet having belonged to William Morris, now on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Later all sorts of designs were made in Kerman, including large figurative ones. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has a carpet of 1909 with a design copying a painting by the 18th century French artist Antoine Watteau.
  Modern Kerman rugs, made for western markets, are often woven in gentle and light colors such as amber, pink, and blue-gray. They may  employ western patterns, such as stripes and various repetitive motifs, as well as more traditional vase and garden themes, animal shapes, and pictorial designs.
caption: Antique Persian Kerman Rug
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