Antique Serab Wool Runner, Crimson Field & Stepped Medallions, c. 1920s — 3'1" × 6'8" — 1C1284

An antique Serab runner from the 1920s — hand-knotted in the tribal village tradition of the northwestern Middle East, in the most characteristic and visually powerful format of the Serab/Heriz village repertoire: the vivid crimson field with repeating stepped geometric medallions, rendered with the bold, graphic authority of a century-old tribal hand.

The crimson/ruby red field — saturated, warm, and immediate, deepened over 100 years into a patina that only genuine antique natural dyes can produce — carries three stepped geometric medallions along the vertical axis. Each is a bold stepped/serrated diamond in deep navy, the staircase silhouette a hallmark of the Heriz tribal vocabulary. The central medallion is the most elaborate: an ivory/cream center filled with small diamond rosettes and a geometric tree-of-life column in dark brown, surrounded by a navy ring of continuous geometric rosette and latch-hook scroll.

The crimson field between the medallions is scattered with diamond rosettes, stylized leaf forms, small boteh, and arrow forms in navy, ivory, and brown — punctuated by large teal/sage green geometric leaf forms that are the most distinctive and unexpected color accent in the composition. The teal against the crimson is bold, graphic, and immediately modern — the detail that makes this rug work as well in a contemporary interior as in a traditional one.

The wide ivory main border carries a continuous geometric star rosette and vine scroll in red, navy, and dark brown, framed by a red inner guard and a dark brown outer guard. At 93 × 204 cm (3’1” × 6’8”), this is a classic runner — ideal for a hallway, staircase, kitchen, or narrow room.

❖ Condition

Good antique condition (c. 1920s — approximately 100 years old). Crimson field vivid and saturated; medallion centers show some pile thinning consistent with age; dark brown/black areas show natural oxidation (iron-based dye — a normal antique characteristic, not a defect). Ivory border warm and well-preserved. Ends flat-finished — fringe absent or worn. Selvedge: red wool overcast, intact. No catastrophic damage; lies flat and presents well.

❖ Specifications

• Origin: Serab — northwestern Middle East (Heriz region)
• Age: Circa 1920s (antique — approximately 100 years)
• Material: Hand-spun wool pile on wool foundation
• Technique: Hand-knotted tribal/village — symmetrical (Turkish/Ghiordes) knot
• Dimensions: 93 × 204 cm / 3'1" × 6'8" — runner format
• Design: Triple stepped geometric medallion on crimson field; scattered geometric field motifs; large teal leaf accents
• Colors: Crimson red, deep navy, ivory/cream, dark brown, teal/sage green
• Ends: Flat finish — fringe absent
• Selvedge: Red wool overcast — intact
• Condition: Good antique — pile uneven; medallion centers some thinning; dark element oxidation; colors vivid; no major damage
• SKU: 1C1284