An attractive all over design antique Mahal carpet with a warm red field and soft blue border. The delicate all over shrub design in the main field would make it easy to decorate with and live happily in a drawing or dining room.  Mahal carpets are known for their soft wool and less formal design than their neighbours Heriz in the north of Persia.  Woven in a variety of colours, but more often the traditional dyes using madder reds and indigo blues.  The pale blue border is a particular highlight on this carpet as younger pieces often would have deep blue almost black borders which would make it a much darker carpet.  The lighter border colour keeps the whole piece light and up-lifting.Mahal carpets were produced in Sultanabad, Persia which is now Arak in the centre of Iran. Mahal and Sultanabad rugs were made in the same area as the earliest Fereghans and Sarouks, but they are very different in form and structure. Floral motifs and overall designs of vinescrolls and palmettes rema...