Antique Serapi Carpet

A simply beautiful distressed antique Serapi carpet, woven in the late 19th century around 1870-1880.  These bold geometric carpets from northern Persia are highly regarded decorative carpets sought after by interior designers and collectors to furnish with.  Over recent years distressed and worn antique carpets over 150 years old such as this piece are increasingly popular, working beautifully under dining tables or in a warm study or drawing room.  Their charm and character add so much to a room, with lovely natural faded dyes.

Condition wise this Serapi carpet is heavily worn, with low areas scattered all over, but crucially there are no holes or structural damage.  If it was in perfect or excellent order it would be over double the price, as good condition Serapi carpets have always been valuable carpets.  Hand-washed by ourselves it is ready to be used on a wooden or tiled floor, it would look truly stunning! We also have stronger underlay so it could be placed on sisal or fitted carpet too.  All our underlay is included in the price and we will happily deliver it and lay it for you too.  As we travel the length and breadth of the UK.

Request a home visit from us and we will with pleasure visit your home to show you this antique Serapi carpet in-situ.  This way you can view it with your furniture and interior making sure you have made the right choice.  A free no obligation service we have offered for over 30 years.

Like carpets woven in Heriz, Persia, Serapi carpets have a multiple concentric medallion format that emits jutting branches or vines ending in large stylised palmettes, leaves, or flowers, with framing corner pieces at the periphery of the field. The main border is usually some variant of the flower and vine scroll pattern. In terms of design, what distinguishes Serapis from Heriz carpets is once again the more open bold designs. The articulation of the medallions is crisper, more finely linear, and open, the highest grade in terms of weave, and very probably the oldest type in terms of age.

Heriz carpets are generally coarser carpets than Serapi with as few as 30 knots per square inch. They also have a deeply depressed warp structure with a markedly ribbed back surface. Since the early twentieth century they have come to make use of light blue cotton wefting. Serapis, in contrast, have a higher knot count, sometimes attaining 80 knots per square inch.  Their backs are relatively flat, and they have ivory cotton wefting. Generally they have a softer handle than Heriz, and they are thinner.  On the whole, it appears that what we call Serapi carpets are simply the oldest, most well-designed, and finely woven Heriz carpets.

Farnham Antique Carpets are specialists in antique decorative carpets, rugs and runners. Varying from antique tribal rugs woven in the Caucasus to classical Persian carpets dating from the mid 19th century to the early 20th century.

As members of the BADA - The British Antique Dealers Association and LAPADA - The Association of Art & Antique Dealers we adhere to strict guide lines as affiliated members and pride ourselves on maintaining its high standards. We exhibit at the BADA fair in Chelsea, London every March and the LAPADA Fair in Mayfair, London every September.