This is definitely a Sarouk. It is unpainted with a maroon dye, so it is either imported from Europe, or simply never "painted". There are three elements to differentiating between a Sarouk and a Sarouk Mahajeran. One is the more open design, often with a background of dark blue. This rug appears to have a standard floral pattern. Second is the weave is unusually tight, orderly and a higher knot count of 144 kpsi. This appears to have a lower kpsi of 110. Third, is the presence of kork wool as pile. It should feel finer and softer than ordinary Sarouk wool.

Base on the first two, I think this is not a Mohajeran.

In the 1920s/30s it was common to take imported Hamadans and Sarouks from the Arak region of Persia and first bleach them with carbolic acid and then "paint" the rug with maroon or red dye. The most common starting color is a darkish pink, usually in the main background. Rugs were bleached into the 40s and possibly early 50s before the added labor cost became too expensive to justify. European Sarouks were sent to directly to Europe and were never painted.

If the back of the rug is a dusty rose color and the front is a darker red/maroon, then the rug has been painted. This helps to date it to the 20s/30s and into the 40s at times. Often the painted areas are blotchy or streaked into nearby colors, making whites a red color. So, I believe this rug is a 1930s Sarouk, but not a Mohajeran Sarouk, which are rare.

Cuzinbruce,
Thanks for the helpful link and your comments. I did purchase the carpet and may be able to take a picture of it outside tomorrow as a lot of the snow is beginning to recede. Thanks for that great link!!-- Its very informative and very similar to RugRag's home page that describes the evolution and transition of the early Persian Sarouks to the early 20th century advent of the Americab Sarouk. The rug I purchased has a rosy red ground shade which is derived form the madder root, called ronas (Farsi). From my research, the larger rugs were made with the rosy red color and the smaller, dozar sizes were often made with the blue... bur not always. I am still doing some research.

Nmiesen,
Thanks for your feedback. This rug is not painted and has a rosy red background, not maroon dyed which appears to be from Madder Red. The KPSI is @ 120 KPSI using a ruler. The design of willow tree floral sprays with the rosy red background is often used for the larger Sarouks and the Blue for the smaller ones. I am still seeking more information as to whether this is a Mohajaran from the 1920's or earlier.

It is a rug that was made for the US market but probably never arrived there at the beginning. It has no US wash and was not painted. This makes it a more interesting piece in my eyes than most rugs available. Sometimes you find rugs like this one in Europe or Iran. It is not a Mohajeran due to quality and design, but still a very beautiful rug.

1915-1935