Senneh

(Posted on 23/06/15)

Country: Persia

Category: village and workshop

General details Made in the town of Sanandaj (formerly Senneh or Sehna), the capital of Kurdistan in western Persia, which gives its name to the Persian knot - although ironically the Turkish knot is nearly always used. Senneh rugs can be very finely woven on cotton (or sometimes silk) foundation, with up to 500 knots per sq inch, and the pile wool, normally clipped quiet short, is of very good quality, kelims are also made in the same range of designs.

  The most popular composition involves the herati motif in an allover or, more usually, a rather angular medallion-and-corner scheme, but repeating boteh and gul-i-mirza (a French-inspired floral scheme which literally means 'flower of Mirza Ali') designs are also often employed.  The palette is rich and penumbral, with deep reds, blue and ochres offset by paler shades of the same hues in addition to orange, white, beige and green.  Unfortunately, very few Sennehs are now made and only limited number of small rugs, and even fewer room-size carpets, come onto the market.  Indian weavers produce copies of traditional Senneh schemes, particularly those based on the herati and medallion-and-corner formats, but these are often rather crude in both colour and designs.

Resale value The growing scarcity of Senneh rugs, coupled with the quality of their weave and artistry, make theme very sound investments,  This is particularly true of the finer examples.