Types of Antique Rugs: Europe & Asia
The main rug production area throughout time has
undoubtedly been Central Asia from which the handloom, weaving, and knotting
techniques originated. Whether for daily use or religious/ceremonial function
these products have become prized and very expensive design elements due to
their enduring quality and style. After the West discovered these treasures,
great imitations and improvements on traditional methods have flourished up
into modern times. While the pace of contemporary carpet production is rapid, the
time-honored tradition of intricate weaving is still sought for carpets
manufactured out of the finest materials that last a lifetime if properly
maintained.
Central Asian and Turkish Rugs(Predecessors)
Khotan/Samarkand
Oushak/Ottoman Court Carpet
European Rugs(Innovators)
Axminster
Savonnerie
Aubusson
Central Asian Rugs
Produced in Turkey, Iran, Uzbekistan,Kazhakastan,
India, and surrounding countries
Crafted in time consuming manner on a loom whether
vertical or horizontal in which each individual knot is tied to create on
overall pattern
Generally constructed out of a wool or cotton warps
with the same material used for wefts. However, the finest are silk on silk
construction in which the delicate threads are used for both
Sericulture
The process of silkworm farming in
which the Bombyx mori moth lays eggs which hatch and form cocoons after
consuming large amounts of mulberry leaves. These cocoons are harvested by
boiling in water, which, kills the larvae before it completes metamorphosis and
has a chance to break the singular thread of silk. These fibers are harvested
and 43 a generally spun into one thread. It takes about 5,500 silkworms pupas
to produce 1kg of silk.
The Persian and Anatolian Rugs can be separated by
a general difference in knotting technique.
The
Persian rug uses a Senneh knot(a single looping knot)
Results
in a very fine quality rendering of pattern
The Anatolian/Turkish rug uses a
Ghiordes knot(double looping knot
Results
in a more blocky depictions
The Persian style rug is of a
better quality due to the greater time commitment needed to weave more knots
per sq cm
Wool
carpets have 60-65 knots pers sq cm
Silk
have 80-100 knots per sq cm
 |
| Senneh/Persian Knot |
 |
| Ghiordes/Turkish Knot |
Khotan/Samarkand
Produced in Chinese Turkistan
formerly known as Samarkand when it was a trade centre along The Silk Road in
the past
Typical designs feature patterns
organized within a lattice framework with a rosette or medallion pattern in
each repeatable unit, while surrounding border frame usually incorporates a
scrolling fret pattern of Chinese inspiration.
Typically brightly colored, but
antique versions are muted due to fugitive natural dyes and sun discoloration.
Many formerly used as prayer rugs
Generally made out of silk or wool
Oushak/Ushak/ Ottoman Court Carpet
Produced in Usak in Western
Turkey from 15th-17th century during the Ottoman Empire,
and again after a spike in interest in the 19th century
Transitioned from a more
naturalistically rendered depiction form into a more geometric abstraction
during its revival due to lack of original craft skills
Most of the layers of rugs in
mosques are derived from this area
The originator of the medallion
and star pattern organization types
Are woven in a lustrous quality
wool that maintains the muted red, brown, gold,
blue, green, ivory, saffron and gray coloration well
European Rugs
Axminster
Founded in 1775 by Thomas
Whitty in an effort to imitate a Turkish carpet seen at market
Graced the halls and rooms of
many of the English landed gentry’s country estates and city houses up until the
19th century
Constructed in a method in
which the individual carpet fiber is looped once underneath through the cotton
warp and jute weft, compressed by a shuttle, then cut to the appropriate pile
length.
Jacquards
and multilevel patterns can be easily created with this technique
5-14
rows per inch of tufts is standard
Typically
made in a velvet or twist pile
Savonnerie
Produced
in France by the Savonnerie manufactory in the 17th century
Made up of orphans
apprenticed in the technical and design aspects of carpet and tapestry making
A dense pile carpet
constructed with the Ghiordes(Turkish) knot at 90 knots per square inch
These where royal carpets
only presented as diplomatic gifts
Initially modeled after
Persians forms but virtually developed into their characteristic French manner
with pictorial designs featuring armorial crests, dense swirling foliate
patterns, and multiple offset borders on deep blue, black, or brown grounds
However styles changed
frequently due to constant changes in fashion, and it was revived in the 18th
century under Percier and Fontaine’s Empire style headed by Napoleon.
The manufactory was absorbed
eventually into the Gobelins manufacture
Aubusson
Produced only in central
France in the city of Creuse in the 17th-18th centuries
primarily
It is a flat woven non-pile
usually wool and/or silk blend carpet created on a hand-loom on top of a scenic
cartoon that produces a similar effect to the look of needlepoint. Loose
strings will be present on the back where the pattern color hangs
It is the same as an Aubusson
tapestry just with an overall thicker thread for a coarser weave and increased
durability
