A Seirafian carpet's value depends on many factors — and the range is considerable. Here is what determines whether your rug is worth hundreds or hundreds of thousands.
Prices vary enormously. A small, lightly used Seirafian with a standard medallion design might be worth a few thousand pounds at retail — but an exceptional Sadegh Seirafian hunting carpet in silk-and-kork in fine condition can command prices that place it firmly in the collector category. Without seeing the piece, no honest advisor can give you a figure.
What we can do is explain precisely what drives the value of a Seirafian carpet, so that when you contact us you know what you are working with — and what questions to ask.
Each of these factors shifts the valuation meaningfully. Together they determine whether a Seirafian is a fine decorative piece or a major collector acquisition.
Whose name appears in the cartouche — and whether it can be verified
Hunting carpets command the highest premiums; medallion designs are most common
Large room-sized pieces in good condition are rarer and more sought after at auction
Silk vs. cotton foundation; kork wool pile; presence of silk highlights
Earlier pieces from the golden workshop period tend to attract a premium
Pile height, repairs, colour run, selvedges and ends all factor into the offer
Original receipts, auction records, and documented ownership history
International collector demand drives pricing; European buyers are especially active
The Seirafian workshop was a family enterprise, and within that family there is a significant hierarchy of value. Pieces bearing the name of Sadegh Seirafian are among the most sought-after by collectors of fine Persian carpets — his work represents the apex of the Isfahan tradition in the twentieth century, and pieces attributable to him with confidence carry a substantial premium over generic workshop production.
Other family members — including Mohammad Seirafian and Ali Seirafian — also produced work of considerable quality, and their pieces attract serious collector interest. However, the market reflects the reputation hierarchy, and attribution to Sadegh specifically makes a material difference to the valuation. Where the cartouche bears only the family name without a given name, or where attribution is unclear, the piece is assessed on its own technical and aesthetic merits.
Hunting carpets (شکارگاه — shikargah) represent the pinnacle of Seirafian design ambition and command the strongest premiums in the collector market. These large-format compositions, depicting the royal hunt with figures on horseback, animals, birds, and dense foliate grounds, require exceptional technical skill to execute and are produced in far smaller numbers than standard medallion designs. A fine Seirafian hunting carpet in good condition is a major collector piece.
Central medallion (ترنج — toranj) designs are the most common Seirafian format — the classic Isfahan composition with a dominant central medallion, matching quarter-medallions at the corners, and elaborate arabesque fill. These range from the workmanlike to the exceptional, and within this category quality varies significantly. All-over floral designs without a dominant medallion, and pictorial or figural compositions, represent further categories, each with their own collector constituency and price profile.
Size affects value in a non-linear way. Large room-sized carpets — roughly 3 by 4 metres and above — in genuinely good condition are both rarer and more valuable than smaller format pieces, because producing them demands more materials, more weaving time, and a more disciplined consistency of quality across a larger surface. Very large pieces (gallery-size, 4 by 6 metres and above) are harder to sell through private channels but attract serious competition at the major rug auctions.
Small pieces — prayer rug formats, sedjadeh (approximately 1.5 by 2.5 metres), and fragments — have their own market, but the premium attached to large format, fine condition pieces is real and substantial.
The materials used in a Seirafian carpet are a direct indicator of the quality tier it was made for. The finest pieces use a silk foundation (silk warp and weft threads), which allows for a higher knot density and a finer, more detailed design resolution. More typical pieces use a cotton foundation, which is durable and perfectly respectable but places them in a different value tier.
Kork (kurk) wool pile is the quality standard in fine Isfahan work — it is a soft, lustrous, long-stapled wool with natural lanolin content that gives the pile a characteristic sheen and exceptional durability. The presence of silk pile highlights — used selectively to pick out specific design elements, flowers, or figures — is a further quality indicator and adds to both the visual impact and the collector value of a piece.
The Seirafian workshop's golden period — broadly the mid-twentieth century under Sadegh Seirafian's direction — produced the pieces that are most consistently valued by collectors and that appear most prominently at major auction. Earlier pieces from this period tend to command a premium over later workshop production, which can show more variation in quality as demand for Seirafian-branded work grew.
However, age is not mechanically determinative. A technically outstanding piece from the 1970s will outperform a mediocre piece from the 1950s. What matters is the combination of period, quality of execution, and current condition. We always assess the piece as a whole rather than age in isolation.
Condition is one of the most significant value factors for any fine rug, and Seirafian pieces are no exception. The key elements we assess are:
A piece in genuinely good original condition — full pile, no repairs, original edges — is described as such in any honest assessment, and this is reflected strongly in the valuation.
Documentation does two things: it increases confidence in authentication, and it adds an independent record that survives the original owner. Original dealer receipts from a reputable Isfahan carpet merchant or a major European or American dealer, auction catalogue entries with lot illustrations, family letters or photographs showing the rug in situ, and previous written valuations all contribute positively to both the confidence of assessment and, in some cases, the price.
For high-value pieces especially, the question of authentication rests partly on provenance. A piece that can be traced to a documented early sale, a reputable original vendor, or a published scholarly catalogue is easier to authenticate with confidence, and that confidence has a cash value in the collector market.
The collector market for fine Persian rugs — and for Seirafian pieces in particular — is international in character. European collectors, particularly in Scandinavia, Germany, and Switzerland, represent an important and consistently active segment of the market. American private collectors and institutions, Middle Eastern buyers, and a growing body of collectors in Asia also participate. The major rug auction houses — in London, New York, and Vienna — provide the most transparent price benchmarks.
Market conditions do shift over time, and the value of fine Seirafian pieces has been generally buoyant in recent years as a younger generation of collectors discovers the quality of mid-twentieth-century Isfahan workshop production. A current assessment by a specialist who is actively buying reflects the present market rather than historical price guides or out-of-date valuations.
To know what YOUR rug is worth, we need to see it. Send us photographs — our assessment is free and we respond within 24 hours.
You do not need to be an expert to submit a valuation request. A few minutes of preparation will help us give you a more accurate and useful initial response.
That is all we need to get started. Submit your photographs via our valuation form and we will be in touch within 24 hours.
Authentication and value are closely linked, but the relationship is more nuanced than simply "signed equals genuine equals valuable." A Seirafian attribution rests on a holistic assessment that draws on multiple lines of evidence simultaneously:
The knotting structure, knot density, foundation materials, and pile technique of a genuine Seirafian piece are consistent and identifiable. These cannot be faked without reproducing the entire manufacturing process.
The specific design vocabulary of the Seirafian workshop — the particular rendering of arabesque, the proportional relationships, the border systems — is recognisable to specialists and consistent across authenticated pieces.
The quality and type of materials used — particularly the wool pile and foundation threads — are consistent with Isfahan workshop standards of the relevant period.
The cartouche signature alone is not conclusive. Signatures can be added to rugs that do not originate from the workshop, and this is not unknown in the trade. Authentication requires the full picture.
The practical implication is that authentication confidence affects the offer process. A piece where all lines of evidence align — construction, design, materials, and a credible signature — is assessed with high confidence. A piece where the signature is present but the construction or design raises questions will be assessed more cautiously, and this is reflected in the offer. We will always explain our reasoning.
For a deeper explanation of how Seirafian pieces are identified, see our Seirafian identification guide.
Yes — absolutely. This is one of the most important points we can make to anyone with a Seirafian piece they have inherited or are considering selling.
Condition affects price, but it does not eliminate value. The rarity and quality of a genuine Seirafian carpet means that even a piece with significant wear can retain substantial collector interest. A worn Seirafian hunting carpet in a rare design — even one with pile loss, old repairs, or faded areas — can still be worth considerably more than a pristine example of an ordinary type.
The key questions are: is the piece genuinely rare? Is the design and attribution strong? Is the structural integrity of the rug sound, even if the pile is low? If the answers are yes, the condition issues are a pricing factor rather than a reason not to proceed.
We have purchased Seirafian pieces in challenging condition because the underlying piece was exceptional. We have also declined to make offers on pieces in technically good condition where the design quality or attribution was weak. Do not assume that damage means worthlessness — let us assess it.
A significant proportion of the fine Seirafian pieces that come to market do so through inheritance — a collection formed over decades by a parent or grandparent, often with little documentation surviving, and often with beneficiaries who are unsure what they have or what it might be worth.
If you are an executor or beneficiary dealing with an estate that includes Oriental rugs, a few practical points are worth knowing:
For probate purposes, you require a formal written valuation for market value at date of death. This is a specific type of document with a specific legal purpose. If this is what you need, please mention it when you contact us so we can advise on the appropriate format and any associated cost.
Insurance valuations typically require a replacement value figure — the cost to replace the item at retail — which is higher than a market sale value. Again, if this is your requirement, please specify it so the documentation we provide is appropriate for your insurer.
If you simply want to know what pieces in an estate are worth and which are worth selling, our standard free assessment covers this. We can work through a collection systematically, identifying what is significant and what is not, and prioritising accordingly.
General probate valuers are rarely specialists in fine Oriental rugs. A collection that has been assessed by a generalist may have been significantly under- or over-valued. A second opinion from a specialist costs nothing and can make a material difference.
We are experienced in working with solicitors, estate administrators, and family trustees. Contact us to discuss your situation and we will advise on the best approach.
The questions we are asked most often about the Seirafian valuation process.
We aim to respond to all photograph submissions within 24 hours. For pieces that require more detailed assessment — for example, a large collection or a piece where authentication is not straightforward from photographs — we may ask for additional images or arrange to view the piece in person before giving a definitive figure.
Yes, completely free. We do not charge a fee to assess photographs, give an indicative value range, or make an offer. There is no obligation to accept any offer, and we will not invoice you for the time we have spent. Our business model is buying rugs, not charging for valuations.
We can provide a written statement of our assessment and offer price, which many clients find useful for insurance or estate purposes. If you require a formal written valuation for probate, insurance replacement value, or legal purposes, please mention this when you contact us so we can discuss the most appropriate form of documentation.
Auction estimates and actual sale prices are different things, and both differ from an immediate purchase offer. An auction estimate reflects a hoped-for hammer price before fees, buyer's premium, transport, photography, and the real possibility of the lot passing. Our offer is a certain price paid promptly, with no fees deducted.
We are always happy to discuss how we have arrived at a figure and to explain the difference between market value in different contexts. In some cases an auction will genuinely achieve a higher net figure; in others the certainty, speed, and absence of fees makes a direct sale the better outcome. We will tell you honestly which we think applies to your piece.
No. Our assessment and any offer we make carry no obligation whatsoever. Many people contact us simply to understand what they have and what it might be worth. You are under no pressure to accept any offer, and we will not pursue you if you decide not to proceed.
We can give a meaningful indicative assessment from good photographs of the front, back, signature cartouche, and any areas of wear or damage. For a definitive offer on a high-value piece, we would typically want to see the rug in person or arrange a specialist viewing. We can advise on this after reviewing your initial photographs.
Our valuation form guides you through the photographs we need. Most initial assessments can be completed entirely remotely.
This is one of the most common situations we encounter. Many fine Isfahan rugs are wrongly attributed to the Seirafian workshop — and occasionally genuine Seirafian pieces are not recognised as such by their owners.
Send us photographs and we will give you our honest assessment of the attribution question as part of the valuation process, at no charge. We will explain our reasoning clearly, whatever the conclusion.
Whether you have a single piece or an entire collection, our specialist assessment is free, thorough, and entirely without obligation. We respond within 24 hours, and we will tell you clearly what we think your rug is worth and why.
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History, identification, design vocabulary, and what distinguishes the finest pieces — everything you need to understand the workshop and its legacy.
How our buying process works, what to expect, and why selling direct can deliver a better outcome than auction for many Seirafian pieces.
The record prices achieved at auction for the finest antique and collector rugs — context for understanding where Seirafian pieces sit in the broader market.