Persian rug dating

America has its own tradition of hand-woven rugs made by Native Americans in the Southwest. When appraising an Oriental rug, it is important to first determine the type of construction. Many people would be hard pressed to tell what type of construction their rug uses, much less details about where and when it may have been made. Regardless, these differences can make an enormous difference in appraised value. Hand-woven rugs are made by a weaver or weavers sitting at a loom and hand-tying individual knots along the weft threads which run left to right onto vertical strings called the warp running top to bottom.

They are also the most durable. The key to determining if a rug was hand-woven is to look at the row of knots in the back. While the design and colors match the front, the knots in the back of the rug will not be perfect and the rows will not be even. In contrast, machine-made rugs are produced on computer driven looms where hundreds of spindles of fiber are mechanically woven into a mesh backing. In these rugs, the rows of knots in the back will be perfectly uniform, the edges will be straight, and if the rug has a fringe, it will have been sewn or glued on, added as a decorative element to simulate the look of a hand-woven rug.

These are also generally made with less expensive, man-made fibers as well as natural fibers. Other common types of construction are hand-tufted and hand-hooked rugs. These are made using a tool called a tufting gun, where individual threads are punched into a canvass backing to form the pile. Tufted rugs are sheared or cut to look more like carpet, whereas hooked rugs are left unshorn to form a loop pile.

These rugs for the most part have a fabric backing glued to the entire back of the rug to keep the individual fibers in place.

25 Oriental Rug Identification Tools

Like machine-made rugs these may not have a fringe and if they do, it will have been glued or sewn on. Tufted rugs are less durable than a machine made rug and when damaged, these rugs are almost always a total loss because the materials used to keep these held together will easily crumble and dry out when exposed to water or heat. There is almost never a restoration option for these types of rugs. The next time you are at a loss looking at a damaged rug, flip a corner over and you may have a much better idea of the construction of the rug than the insured.

There are of course many other construction types for rugs, such as kilims flat woven rugs , Aubusson needle-points, embroidered pieces and sisal rugs made from a variety of grasses and natural fibers. But the most common types found on claims are those aforementioned.

For example, in the Taghe Bostan, a historic palace in Iran, a stone carving on one of the palace walls depicts a carpet draped from a boat. This carving dates back to the 4th Century.


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Historical documents also trace Persian carpet weaving to the Sasanian dynasty, which reigned from the 3 rd to 7th centuries. And in Arab records, the area of Mazandaran is cited as one of the centers for particularly famous carpets in the 9th century, while in the 10th century, carpets from the city of Bokhara, as well as the provinces of Khuzestan and Pars achieved great acclaim. The next historical evidence of fine Persian carpet making was the result of a fortuitous discovery at a mosque in Central Anatolia, Turkey, where three rug fragments dating back to the 13th century were located.

These rug fragments, as well as other historical documents for this period, chronicle the important cultural renaissance of the Seljuk dynasty to Persian history and to the evolution of carpet artistry. In the area of Tabriz, famous Mongolian miniature paintings from the 14th century have been found which feature rugs woven into geometric patterns of animals and hunting scenes. The 15th century marks a time when an ancestor of Genghis Khan, Timur the conqueror reigned over Persian lands.

While known as a ruthless ruler, Timur is recognized for his contributions to the development of culture and the arts in his time. Historical records show that the city of Samarkand became the talk of explorers and world travelers of that period who marveled over the fine carpet artistry. Yet without a doubt, the finest examples of this important art form are found from the Safavid dynasty 16thth century.

During this timeframe the art of carpet weaving flourished. With that information, what can you tell me about the rug? Great helpful article for furthering my knowledge of the art of rug making! I recently purchased a rug from a weekend open market in Kuwait City, Kuwait. I will send a picture to your website in hopes you can help me identify it as it was said to be Baluch! The flower pots as the medallions and pillars on the sides have me searching to its new or older motif!

I have a phote which I can email but did not see the option to add it here, so if you can reply to stevetyrrell hotmail.

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Any information you can provide would be appreciated. Steve, Just send it to expert internetrugs. The rug has very good hand knotted fringe. Very good condition and recently cleaned by a professional oriental rug cleaner Hagopian and sons in Birmingham, Mi. Could you give an approximate value in todays market?

Len Bozian E-mail len. How do I tell if the rugs I purchased are even wool, or if they are something synthetic? The guy I purchased them from said they were wool, but who really knows? If I email a photo, can you provide a rough appraisal and your impression of the rug. Any easy ways to gauge authenticity to avoid paying Persian prices for a synthetic knockoff?

I am unable to reach you by email at expert internetrugs. My email address is davidsgriffiths netscape. Your blog is great and taught me a lot. The tag on the back says Iran, wool pile. The warp and weft are both wool, the weft being twisted red and warp twisted grey strands. From your description I believe the selvage is the multi-color barber pole type. Last week I sent photos of a 12 x 15 oriental rug I inherited.

I need help with identification! Did you receive my email? Richard, I loved the article and learned a lot from it! It made me want to learn more about antique oriental rugs. If you have any articles or books you could recommend, I would love to read them. Thank you so much for all your help! The back looks a bit weird can I email you some pics for you opinion?

I found this rug at a community sale. It looks hand woven and old.


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  4. It appears to be wool on wool with fringed ends. All the colors are soft and seem to be naturally dyed. All the designs are geometrical. Can I send a photo? How do I send a photo? Russell, you can attach a photo to an email to expert internetrugs. While cleaning my rug, I noticed it looked more worn. I have often thought about where it came from and wondered about the age. I purchased it about 20 years ago at an antique auction in Ruston, LA.

    I began a search and came across your website with so much information. I would appreciate any information you might have time to share. I will forward photos as well. Thank you for your time.

    25 Oriental Rug Identification Tools

    We have an old oriental rug about 9X12 size which was in the family. Having moved to FL recently, we found there is no where in our house to put it. I would like to identify it so we can sell it knowledgeably. If I email you a picture of it, is it possible to provide some information at least based upon what you see? If so, where might I email you? Hello, I have 7 very old oriental rugs that have been in my family for more than 60 years.

    I would like to know their values. Some must go since we are now downsizing and will not be able to use them. May I send photos? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I sent an email, would appreciate any help I can get. This rug I bought at an auction and giving as a gift to my Mother for Christmas.

    Please look at your email and assist. Such an array of so many rich colors as well. To first give you the history,which make it intriguing to me. I would really like to find out everything i can about this carpet but have no idea how to start.

    To clarify fist there is no interest in selling this carpet, we just want to know everything we can about where it came from,age,values,etc. I hope that you can help me to idendify a rug and approximate value.