Buying Antique Persian Rugs
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Well-made wool rugs are a true asset to its owner. They are beautiful and can stand the test of time. Easily cleaned, these rugs can last nearly forever and are simple to keep in good condition. Often times, these handmade rugs appreciate in value providing both beauty and worth to the purchaser.
Because there are many rugs that are rejected from the industry, it is vital that potential buyers deal with reputable companies with large stock who specialize in these types of rugs. Roadside sales and other ‘all sales final’ type businesses provide inferior rugs that do not last as long or look as beautiful as true Antique Persian Rugs.
To this end, it is vitally important that potential buyers choose the right rug store to purchase from. In the end it will be the store you chose that will provide advice, information and warranties. A potential buyer needs to feel secure in the store and get a sense of honesty and integrity before going through with the purchase.
Pressuring rug dealers are not the kind that a potential buyer should deal with. These dealers will often try to push a buyer into a spur of the moment choice that often results in regret and financial loss. Buyers who encounter such dealers should simply walk away and choose another store for their rugs.
Information is another key ingredient in choosing the perfect rug store. Employees should have knowledge of the item that they are selling and should be able to provide it to the potential buyer in a calm concise manner. Information about rugs can include origin, fiber content and comparisons between various kinds of handmade rugs. This information will help a buyer make the right rug choice.
Buyers are advised to familiarize themselves with the product online before heading to the store. Walking into a rug shop with an idea of type, price, and detail will help the buyer in the long run. Choosing the right rug for you begins with setting a budget. Deciding what a potential buyer wants, and how much they are willing to spend is the door to a great rug purchase.
Size is also an important thing to consider when deciding on a rug. It is imperative that the rug fit the area in which it is intended. Material is important to consider when choosing a rug. Most rugs are made from wool, silk or cotton. While silk rugs may be grand, they are not good for areas with high foot traffic.
Wool, on the other hand, has durability that can add beauty to any room. Wool rugs also vary in grade, so it is important for the buyer to feel the rugs and find out what kind of wool they are made of. Many of the best Persian Rugs out there are made of wool.
Live wool, which is taken from a live animal, is the only kind of wool you should want in your rug. Dead wool lacks oils from the live animals and can be rough and uncomfortable. Potential buyers should remember that glorified synthetic materials will never have the durability or beauty that true wool or silk will have in a rug. Also, it is important to note that handmade rugs should never be steam or dry cleaned as this can ruin them.
The Beauty Of Persian Rugs
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Persian carpets (or rugs) are known throughout the world for their beauty and quality. The art of making carpets goes back thousands of years and originated in the area we now call Iran. Most carpets and rugs seen today are manufactured by machine. Antique Persian Rugs, however, are still hand-made using traditional methods.
These methods differ from region to region and even village to village. An expert can readily distinguish a rug made in Anatolia from one made in Tabriz by the materials used, the type of knots employed and the rug’s overall theme and pattern. Some basic understanding of how rugs are made is essential for one to appreciate the workmanship that goes into making Persian Rugs.
A rug is formed by weaving strong lines of woven wool, goat hair or even silk in vertical (warp) and horizontal (weft) arrays on a loop. If you turn over a rug you can often view the foundation warp and weft and get an idea of the knotting pattern. Individual dyed threads are then knotted into the web made up of the warp and weft. These individual threads make up the pile that we see and walk on. Varying the color of the threads allow one to create patterns and scenes.
Every thread in the pile you see has been individually attached to the rug and all are hand trimmed (yes with scissors!) to given the rug its even appearance. Rugs are classified by the type of knot that is used, the pattern, material of construction and the number of knots in a given area (knots/square inch or knots per decimeter). Different regions use different knots to create Antique Persian Rugs.
Some use a double knot where the thread is looped around two warps while others employ a single s shaped twist. Patterns are also readily distinguishable from village to village and come in a wide variety of geometric patterns and floral and animal motifs. All Persian rugs have border designs with some central theme. The number of knots per square inch is a great determiner of how costly a rug will be.
This makes sense when one considers that each thread in individually placed. More threads per square inch equates to more material and labor. The dense pattern of rugs is achieved by compressing the rug using iron combs while the rug is still on the loom. The beauty of Persian rugs is renowned and rightly so based on the artistry and workmanship that goes into each and every one.
Persian Tribal Rugs
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The broad term “tribal rugs” can refer to rugs created by tribes both of traveling nomads and village-dwelling weavers. While designs largely influenced by urban patterns produced commercially are largely sought after, the unusual bird designs of southern Iran should be desired more because of their deep roots in the past, not traced to an outside source. They are also found in the most popular of Antique Persian Rugs.
The most pure tribal rugs are those woven by either nomads or village weavers for their own use, with their own designs, not copied from other tribes. Less pure are the tribal rugs borrowing others’ designs, but least pure are the rugs made in commercial shops in the towns and villages. While they may be excellent specimens of village work with beautiful designs and colors, they are not on the same level of pure “tribal” rugs as these bird designs, which mostly originate from the formerly important southern Persian tribe known as the Khamseh Confederacy.
Qashqa’i tribal rugs are more popular, but if more people would appreciate pure tribal designs without outside influence, the name Khamseh would gain popularity–not only for their tribal purity but also for their significance as works of art. Formerly known as the “chicken” design because of their resemblance to this common sight in village life, the term “bird rugs” is gaining use because of evidence linking them to themes in western Asia, including Persian artwork and sculptures, in which two birds face each other with some type of divider in between like a tree, bush, or person. These “bird rugs” and particularly the Qashqa’i tribal rugs make some of today’s most popular Persian Rugs as well.
Arab and Turkish influences came later to Iran and some of the Persian tribes were absorbed by these invaders, but some small groups continued to function separately, speaking their old dialects and keeping their original culture, like the Luri. A few of their rugs have bird designs as well as other indigenous weaving designs, even a two-headed animal found in both Khamseh rugs and bronze work from ancient Persia. Because southern Iran was not a major trade route, even today some very old Persian Tribal Rugs have survived.
The old Persian bird design managed to stand up against Arab and Turkish influences while Qashqa’i designs are usually from Luri influence or based on urban weaving. Depending on the person, a deeper understanding of this history can bring a deeper appreciation of the artwork. The book “Tribal Rugs of Southern Persia” mistakenly attributed the bird design to mainly the Arab tribe in the confederacy and has even influenced several other authors.
Versions of the design may have been woven by the Arab, Turkish, and Luri alike, but the strongest links are still to early Persia. While some Qashqa’i rugs may have birds on them, leading to the mislabeling of some Khamseh rugs as Qashqa’i, they’re not the same classic Khamseh bird designs. Hopefully, such mislabeling will eventually disappear.
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