A charming early 20th century Persian Afshar tribal rug featuring the timeless allover boteh — or paisley — design, one of the most ancient and symbolically resonant motifs in the entire Persian textile tradition. Hand-knotted by the Afshar tribes of Southwestern Persia, the rug showcases repeated paisley motifs in warm rust and brown tones set against a soft ivory background of luminous simplicity.
The boteh — whose origin is debated among scholars, with theories ranging from the sacred Zoroastrian flame to the Cypress tree of Shiraz — has been woven into Persian textiles for millennia as a symbol of life, abundance, and divine blessing. In the hands of an Afshar village weaver, working with high-quality mountain wool and natural vegetable dyes, the boteh achieves a warmth and organic beauty that makes this rug an ideal choice for interiors seeking authentic Persian craftsmanship. The Afshar people — a Turkic-speaking tribal confederation of South-Central and Southwestern Persia — have produced some of the most distinctive and collectible rugs in the tribal weaving world. Afshar rugs are celebrated for their fine weave, their exceptional quality of naturally dyed wool, and a design vocabulary that combines geometric precision with organic symbolic richness. The boteh (paisley) — representing life, eternity, and the flame of Zoroastrian sacred fire — is among the most beloved and enduring motifs in the Afshar repertoire.
Dimensions: 4' 6" x 7'
Date of Manufacture: 1st Quarter of the 1900s
Place of Origin: Persia (Afshar tribal region)
Material: Wool pile on a wool foundation with natural vegetable dyes
