Oriental Rug

I got this rug yesterday and would like to find out if it is hand woven, where it is possibly from and any information on the symbolism would be appreciated, also approximate age. Thanks so much.

 

Yes, it does appear to be handknotted. Although I know enough to recognize some of the general categories of design (which are normally named for the village or area where the design originated) this is not one I know the name of.

I can also see that it is rather worn (which normally implies that it has been around a while, but could also simply tell you that it was in a heavily trafficked area) and that you've got some unraveling that needs attention to keep it from getting worse.

Did you buy for yourself or resale?

 

If you haven't already seen this site, you may find it usefully straightforward in explaining the meanings of some of the most common design elements in Persian carpets. There's a lot more information available too.

http://www.rugs-oriental.net/persian-rug-patterns.html

 

Thanks for the information. I bought it for myself and it does have a lot of wear. The man I bought it from said he remembers it from being at his grandmother's in the 50s.

 

Thanks so much! I have done some reading myself, but it usually gets my head spinning. About a year ago, I bought a couple of books on oriental rugs and the symbols, but I could not see a lot of the symbols and it was so much info to take in. I will definitely check out the link. Thanks again.

 

That amount of wear could be consistent with the story. Do you have a dealer in this kind of rug near you? You could see whether they would take a look, particularly if you want to have it repaired.

 

Take your pictures to the best dealer near you. I have found that most of them are most helpful if you ask for someone who has information and some time to spare. The man from whom I bought my little Oriental, spent nearly two hours, one rainy afternoon, educating me. Oh, how I wish I had tape recorded what he said!

And, incidentally, as lovely as a perfectly intact oriental can be, there is something about the ones that show wear, which is most warm and endearing...suggestive of books, and old mahogany, and a baby grand...

Morning, Greg! Hear echoes?

 

Well put! That's how I feel about many items.

 

"And, incidentally, as lovely as a perfectly intact oriental can be, there is something about the ones that show wear, which is most warm and endearing...suggestive of books, and old mahogany, and a baby grand..."

Humpf..........then my place should be the warmest, endearingest place in Chicago..........

 

Hi,
I have had three old old old Orientials one which was thread bare in spots. I was unable to part with it. I even turned it over to have a little more life in it. When we moved into our new house (circa 1869) my darling wife tossed the lifeless carpet into the trash while I was away on a conference. She had replaced the worn carpet with a new Oriental (made in Belgium yesterday). I got home home at 3AM and stepped on the new carpet. I jumped thinking I stepped on our cat. It was so horrible within a week it was at a neighbors house. My wife never ever tried to buy a carpet or a rug again. One I still have one as a front of the washer and drier. It never wore out just got thinner and thinner. The third went to a good friend and was tossed when he died. I have had three older rugs and two brand new ones.
I now have 8 Orientials on my tile floors plus two hand crafted rugs and a hand knotted Edward Fields rug. Give me an old Oriential any day. Now I need a good old fashioned rug cleaner like I had in Brooklyn. He had large concrete ponds to wash and drain the rugs in. Also three story open line hanging to dry. All I have around here is some idiot with a machine to clean carpets.
greg

 

Mansons - I know exactly what your home looks like.

And Greg - were she still around, I'd lend you my grandmother. In the spring, she took up all the Orientals (replaced by those big rushy type rugs), and beat the h--l out of them on a couple of clotheslines (strength, you know). Then they were washed and dried. Dunno how or with what. When dried, they were rolled up and put in the attic until fall. Slipcovers and curtains got the same treatment.

Does anyone do that anymore??

 

Hi Silver,
That is what I did every year I was in NYC. Every May all my Orientials went to Klines in Brooklyn to be washed and dried and wrapped up in brown paper, stored behind the sofa in the library. That went on for years until I moved to New Jersey. The rugs that I had done in NYC were 125 dollars for washing and drying. When I moved to NJ I found a carpet cleaner the cost was 275 dollars. Found out he took the carpets to Klines in Brooklyn for cleaning. I started doing it myself. It would take all day to do two rugs. Some times three days for drying. I gave up and did them every four or five years. Then the old folks at Klines died off and they started to machine clean. Now I am lucky if I turn them every three years. The small ones I still do but anything over 5ft will wait until the elephants come home.. I do miss taking down the drapes and just using white sheers. I do not use drapes anymore but just use sheers all year. I hate getting old and I hate being poor. Goodness knows I would have put more away if I knew I was going to live this long.
greg

 

He who hath a sense of humor can never become Really old!

 

" I wish that I knew what I know now , when I was younger .
I wish that I knew what I know now , when I was stronger ."
...................................................................................Rod Stewart.

 

"Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower
We shall grieve not
Rather find strength in what remains behind..."

From "Ode on Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood," William Wordsworth

I try to live by this, but some days...