RUG GUIDE
Rug Introduction 
The Illustrated Rug
From Sheep To Rug
Rug & Knot Types
Rug Loom Types
Basic Rug Care
Stain Removal Guide
Decorating Ideas
Purchasing Guide
Rug Names & Places
Rug History Chart
Glossary of Terms
Presented by NEJAD RUGS:
THE ILLUSTRATED RUG - PART 2FRANCE Following the eighth century conquest of Spain and invasion of France by the Moors, and their subsequent defeat and expulsion, some of these refugees settled in southern France - near Aubusson and the Creuse river - where the water was very conducive to the dying of textiles, as was the climate to the weaving of textiles. Many of them built looms and became weavers, teaching the French natives the art. The earliest French weavings were tapestries in a small all-over pattern design. The occupation of rug and tapestry weaving had begun, and by the thirteenth century French woven products had improved considerably. During the next two hundred years, the art of tapestry spread north and Paris became an important city in the weaving industry - and by the sixteenth century Aubusson tapestries were of an exquisite quality and highly regarded - as evidenced by the demand of the French nobility and the Court at Versailles. The term Aubusson, as well as Savonnerie, itself has become virtually synonymous with the art and craft of French carpet and tapestry weaving.
Aubusson refers to the flat, or tapestry weave of France (can be a wall hanging or a carpet), and customarily has no fringes - the sides hemmed, while Savonnerie refers to a customarily hand knotted pile canvas. The Savonnerie carpets were reserved almost exclusively to the court and the royal family, while the weavers at Aubusson (and manufacturers of this style) made rugs particularly well suited to the public market place - the flat tapestry weave was quicker to work and required much less wool than the knotted pile allowing for faster production and lower price. From the first, textile production was virtually controlled by the crown - the pile rugs were in such demand that production was relocated from the Louvre and into an abandoned soap factory - or Savonnerie. King Henry II, expanded the weaving industry and established production facilities at Paris, Tours, and Felletin. Henry IV established an official state factory in Paris to create the many wall hangings required for his chateau. Louis XIV ordered ninety carpets - some 16' × 30' —for the Palace at Versailles. The grandeur as well as the history built into this golden age of French weaving has perhaps never been, and never will be, equalled. ENGLAND Although England could be considered a relatively late arrival to the field of rug and carpet manufacturing, her contribution was, with regards to both distinctive design as well as far-reaching influence on production methods, no less significant. The hallmark of the English carpet making is the simultaneous development of its own indigenous carpet industry, represented by hand woven rugs featuring the distinctive naturalistic floral design that could be considered "typically British", as well as the mass production of Oriental rugs employing modern methods in a factory setting. The growth of English merchant fleet in the early sixteenth century combined with the accessibilily of mideastem ports encouraged the introduction and importation of the Oriental rug into England. Simultaneously occured the beginnings of a national carpet making industry, featuring hand-knotted rugs and embroideries usually employing a flower (roses, columbines, lilies, tulips, daisies, poppies, cornflowers) or garden related (blooms, butterflies, caterpillars, etc.) theme.
By the eighteenth century fine carpets were being produced at many weaving centers throughout England, catering to a built-in market of royals as well as a large liesure class. The terms Axminster and Wilton (Axminster is the city where Thomas Whitty set up a carpet production facility, subsequently merging with a factory at Wilton), still prevalent today, originate with this era, moreover Axminster has become the definitive term used to refer to English pile carpets. The great industrial advances of the eighteenth century included the following 3 components - each essential in the development of the power loom in England - their combined influence on the carpet weaving industry as such is profound:
By the nineteenth century the British power-driven loom was turning out carpeting by the yard in such quantity, and at such affordable cost, that most homes in England, as a buffer against the wet and often chilly climate, could now be carpeted - but at the expense of the popularity of the hand-knotted rug. Despite this development, the hand woven products have regained a foothold in the marketplace due to higher quality in methods, materials and appearance. English pile carpets were woven predominantly using the Turkish knot, and English needlepoint carpets using the still popular cross-stich method. Green is used liberally in both the pattern and field in all English rugs - ground colors can range from dark brown and black. English design is typified by all types of flowers and flower patterns (most often portrayed in shaded tones of white, ivory, gold and blue green) that span the following periods:
AMERICA The development of the art of hand hooked rug making in Early America can be considered America's contribution to rugmaking. Originally brought to the colonies by early English settlers, this distinctive technique flourished on the northeastern shores of America, from the area of New England to southeastern Canada. Owing to Yankee ingenuity, in the developing of ways and means to conserve and re-use raw materials, while serving the needs and the interests of both frugality and utility, the art of rug hooking (or hand-hooked rugs) became something on the order of a cottage industry in colonial America. The technique involved pulling / pushing pre-cut wool strips (either recycled wool or yarn), through a backing material (linen, cotton, or burlap) which was stretched over a wooden frame - the design sketched in ink or charcoal. A metal hook (often a modified nail) was used to draw the woolen strips through the backing to form loops that were raised approx. ½" from the backing and generally left uncut.
Portraying historic events as well as patriotic American emblems and slogans, or simple geometric forms in primary colors — reds, blues, greens, blacks, whites, rich browns and grays - these rugs often took on a quilted or patchwork effect, and the cloth was dyed using berries, grapes, tree barks, roots, and other natural substances. Other design elements employed included flowers and floral patterns (native New England flowers— lilies, pansies, daisies, roses), single leaves and buds, sprigs, bouquets in baskets, wreaths, medallions, and/or borders, either alone or intertwined, with scroll and vine, as well as nautical themes such as ships, anchors, waves, and stars etc. The art became a popular pasttime among women who hooked rugs for both their decorative appeal and comfort, as well as sailors who had discovered a worthwhile pursuit to keep them busy while at sea for extended periods. Owing to their charm and rustic appeal, as well as versatilty and affordability, the hook rug continues to be a popular item in today's competetive rug market. THE CAUCASUS (Caucasian) The Caucasus region - now comprised of several Soviet states - belonged to Persia until the early nineteenth century and is the home of diverse tribes of many separate languages, as well as two main religions — Christianity and Islam. The rugs produced here reflect the unsophisticated character of the people who live in this rugged mountainous area — bold & vigorous designs that feature bright colors and strong contrast - the overall effect being geometric, even primitive and of relatively modest proportions but remarkably uniform in style. As such no regulated weaving industry exists, and collector pieces date back only as far as the last half of the eighteenth century.
RUMANIA Since the Middle Ages, when Rumanian weavers learned the craft of carpet weaving from their Ottoman rulers, Rumania has regularly produced carpets for export. Production was limited until after World War II when government-sponsored weaving centers, or cooperatives, were established. At that time, significant efforts were launched to reproduce Persian designs, particularly Tabriz-inspired patterns. Since then, Rumanian manufacturers have been most successful in developing new qualities and designs to meet Western decorative tastes. Weaving in Rumania is performed exclusively by women and is a closely supervised government enterprise. The wool used in their carpets, although coarse, is resilient and lustrous. The predominant quality of carpet produced today is the Bucuresti quality. The weave is approximately 70 knots per square inch and is woven with an all-wool pile on cotton warps and wefts. Four other qualities, Braila, Mures, Olt, and Milcov are also produced with knot counts that range from 70 to about 194 knots per square inch. Traditionally, most designs have been inspired by Persian patterns. Most popular in the Bucuresti quality are Persian designs such as Herizes, Kashans, and Sarouks executed in traditional colors and in a broad range of fashion colors. Sizes range from small scatters to over-sized and custom-sized rugs, with runners up to 30 feet long. In addition, a more limited selection of non-Persian designs has widened the realm of decorative choices available in Bucuresti and other qualities. Among these are antique-style reproductions of Caucasian and European rugs such as the floral French Savonnerie.
Equally important are Rumanian kilims which are part of a rich folk art tradition. Their best historic examples are treasured museum pieces. Rumanian weavers today continue to use traditional flat-weaving techniques to execute the very characteristic curvilinear floral designs. These often incorporate geometric motifs and display a wide range of decorative colorations. Rumania offers a tremendous production potential mainly due to its talented and well-trained weavers and to its high quality control standards. Thanks to the weavers' adeptness at executing a variety of design types in both pile and kilim rugs, today's buyers have a realm of decorative choices at their fingertips. TIBET/NEPAL Although historical references pointing to the specific origins of Tibetan rugs are unclear, it is believed that carpet weaving in this Himalayan region is part of an age-old tradition practiced primarily for use in the home. Following China's suppression of Tibetan nationalism in 1959, thousands of Tibetans fled Tibet and settled in neighboring countries including Nepal. Shortly thereafter, carpet production began in Tibetan refugee camps, mainly situated in Nepal's Kathmandu (Katmandu) valley. By the mid-1970s, many carpets woven by Tibetans in exile were being exported to Europe. During the 1980s, Tibetan/Nepalese rugs have received increasing attention from the United States decorative market and exports to this country have steadily increased. The primitive, handcrafted look of these carpets, characterized by highly stylized patterns and tastefully orchestrated color schemes, has great appeal for the American consumer.
Originally produced as mats, door covers, saddle rugs, bed covers, and pillar rugs (made to fit around Buddhist temple columns), traditional Tibetan weavings generally reflect the significance of Buddhist religion in Tibetan culture and art. Various Chinese design elements were also adopted and transformed by the Tibetans as evidenced by the common use of the phoenix, dragon, and lotus symbols in traditional Tibetan carpets. Today, design schemes featured in Tibetan/Nepalese carpets (that is carpets woven by Tibetan refugees in Nepal) range from Westernized adaptations of traditional Tibetan motifs (e.g., branching floral designs and snow lions) to a vast medley of foreign and contemporary free-form patterns. Among the patterns adapted from non-Tibetan cultures are traditional Persian, Turkish, French, Bessarabian, and American southwest Indian. The contemporary-design rugs feature bold geometrics on open fields and adaptations of Art Deco designs. Whatever their ethnic origins, Tibetan/Nepalese patterns bespeak a compelling simplicity that is enhanced by a color spectrum spanning from the rich reds and blues to the softer lavenders and greys. In some cases, these hues are obtained through the use of vegetable dyes. Generally, the yarn used in Tibetan/Nepalese carpets is carded and spun by hand. This gives the face of these carpets a wonderful depth and richness achieved through the subtle variation of color and texture. Some rugs are woven exclusively with Tibetan wool which is characteristically flexible, strong, lustrous, and springy. The majority of the rugs woven are a blend of Tibetan and imported wool. Knot counts vary from 30 to 100 knots per square inch with the majority approximating 48 knots per square inch. The looms used today are larger than their native predecessors in order to meet the export demand for room-sized carpets. Tibetan weaving features a unique and ancient knotting technique which utilizes the "axis rod" (warp divider) and "gauge rod" (needle), tools not employed in other rug weaving countries. Tibetan/Nepalese carpets are increasingly coming into their own in the United States, stirring considerable excitement among American buyers. Indeed, they impart the rustic charm, characteristic of their traditional Tibetan counterparts, while featuring fashion-oriented colors and designs available in a full range of sizes. These bold, eclectic patterns and colorations heightened by a rich texture reveal a primitive sophistication unique to these carpets. SAMARKAND (Mongolia) Produced as far north and east as Mongolia, the rugs that fall into the category of Samarkand - named for the oldest-known city in Asia - incorporate features of both the Persian and Chinese rug, with design elements which include: circular-shaped medallions (used in various configurations) as well as flowers, trefoil leaves and pomegranates, but instead of a predominantly red background color, such as in Turkoman rugs, these rugs feature a lighter, brighter, color palette of soft blue, gray, and tan fields, with accents and border elements of yellows, blues, and bright reds.
Variations in design range from a single center medallion, to portions of the medallion woven into each corner surrounded by a border usually wider than on Chinese rugs and that may include a number of guard stripes. Thematic elements may include a pomegranate tree growing out of a vase on a singular color field, or a ground populated with Chinese butterflies, cranes, dragon(s), fish, or an endless knot motif. The rugs that fall into this category, named more for the style of the rug rather than it's place of origin, are typically hand woven of wool or silk using a Persian knot. EGYPT A Jewel Worthy of Royalty - The creation of the brilliant many-faceted 16th Century silk carpet (below), almost eighteen feet in length, and with a knot density of over 200 knots per square inch, and once the property of the House of Hapsburg, has been, over time, whimsically associated with a charming fairy tale. Once Upon A Time ... as the story goes, a thief was running off with a King's largest, most precious diamond when suddenly, the thief dropped the stone, and the diamond fell on a rock - shattering into pieces. Subsequently, the grieving monarch ordered that a carpet be woven to emulate the appearance of a landscape strewn with the fragments of his favorite stone.
Whatever it's inspiration, experts consider this Mamluk medallion carpet, woven in Cairo of finely-knotted silk in luminescent and shimmering colors, a supreme achievement of the art of Oriental rugmaking - and one of the world's finest carpets, and certainly one of a kind. The Illustrated Rug - Part 1 | Illustrated Rug - Rugs of Afghanistan
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