Vintage Luri Tribal Rug 4 × 7 ft (197 × 132 cm) Lurestan | 14998

Vintage Persian Tribal Rug · Luri / Loribaft · The Djoharian Collection

Vintage Luri Tribal Rug – Hand-Knotted Wool on Wool, 1970s Lurestan

A vintage Luri tribal piece from approximately 1970 – hand-knotted in hand-spun wool on a wool foundation, with the bold archaic vocabulary of the Lurestan tribes set against a richly varied abrash ground.

Provenance and Tribal Heritage

The Luri tribes are one of the oldest tribal confederations of the Zagros mountains in western Iran, with a cultural identity that pre-dates the Persian state by centuries. Luri weaving – the historic ancestor of the contemporary Loribaft tradition – was traditionally produced for daily life inside tents and seasonal camps during the Luri migrations through the highlands. Each rug carried a nomadic narrative in its geometric and symbolic motifs: the migration through high altitudes, the seasonal journeys, the visual vocabulary of the Zagros encoded into knotted wool.

This piece was hand-knotted by Luri weavers in the Lurestan region of western Iran, around 1970, in the rare wool-on-wool tribal construction – both pile and foundation in hand-spun wool, with the structural integrity that distinguishes authentic Luri work from later imitations. The composition follows the archaic tribal vocabulary: rows of bold rectilinear cartouches with inscribed cross motifs, separated by lozenge guards – drawn freely in the directness that defines nomadic weaving.

Colour and Composition

The defining feature of this vintage piece is its extraordinary colour depth and abrash. The hand-spun wool, dyed in small village batches, carries pronounced tonal shifts across the field – the ground migrates from brick red through old rose and mauve and back, while the cartouches and borders are drawn in indigo, petrol blue, olive and camel. This abrash – the natural tonal variation inherent to hand-spun, small-batch wool – reads through the surface as a hallmark of authentic vintage construction; no contemporary production replicates the depth that decades of natural ageing give a hand-spun wool surface. The wool itself retains a distinct lustre.

Presence in the Room

At 197 × 132 cm (2.6 m²) this is a generous medium room-size piece. Three contexts in which the vintage Luri reaches its full effect:

• Sophisticated study or library: The bold archaic vocabulary provides a grounded yet vibrant focal point in a room of books, wood and considered light.
• Modern loft: Against raw concrete or natural materials, the wool-on-wool construction adds tactile warmth and the saturated tribal idiom acts as a confident counterpoint to architectural restraint.
• Bedroom or dressing area: The hand-spun wool surface gives a warm tactile foundation, and the narrative composition rewards being close to daily life.

Specifications

Responsible Sourcing

Djoharian is a Label STEP certified dealer for fair-trade knotted rugs – a commitment to dignified working conditions and against child labour in rug production. Visit the Label STEP entry for Djoharian Teppiche →

Djoharian – Since 1967

Curated by the Djoharian family – rooted in the Grand Carpet Bazaar of Tehran since 1967, with five decades of expertise in antique, vintage and tribal rugs. Every piece is inspected and professionally washed in our atelier in Lohr am Main before secure, fully insured worldwide shipping.

Djoharian – Antique and Bespoke Oriental Rugs since 1967.