Therese Kabahar
The Kerman Rug
Kerman rugs have been appreciated by western collectors
for many years. They are particularly famous for having a single medallion with
an arabesque form. There are, however, many different designs in Kerman rugs.
Kerman rugs are famous for producing large-size and are of very high quality
and have very tight foundations and the knots are Persian. The quality of the
Kerman rugs depends upon the number of knots. In the world of antique Persian
rugs, Kerman rugs are celebrated as being among the best. Kerman rugs are
prized by collectors for a myriad of reasons, which includes but is not limited
to: a wide range of designs, a broad pallet, utilization of natural dyes and
fibers, immense tensile strength and abrasion resistance, and expert color
combinations. No two Kerman rugs are precisely alike, but these general
characteristics typify this enduringly popular style.
Alyssa Loreto
Arrialos Rug
Arriaolos Rugs
are also known as Portuguese needlework rug. It is a hand-embroidered accent
rug made in either bright or pastel colors and is inspired by Oriental style
Persian carpets. It is highly valued throughout Europe and also in some
countries in Middle East. It is well made and can take several different types
of prints and colors. It is versatile because it is not only for floor cover
but also for wall cover.needlework rug.
It is a hand em
Its foliage
design is unique which gives the ambience of the Middle Ages, less buildings
full of trees. The name itself already gives a sense of how important rugs are
ever since the middle ages.
Its color
palette: red, green, yellow and white, reflects the rich tone of nature.
This masterpiece
is specially made and hand-embroidered by skilled natives of the town Arraiolos
also known as the Carpet City. The intricate design combined with the colors of
nature shows the identity of their culture.
As a girl who
lived most of her life in the Province, I grew to love nature. From the
gigantic tree tops to the newly budding flowers, everything that mother nature
provides gives me life.
Feljun Faunillan
The Bijar Rug
Among
all the rugs discussed in the blog posts, Bijar rug is my favourite. It is very
unique in terms of its composition and characteristics. It is considered as the “Iron Carpet of Iran”. They are
mainly woven by Kurds in Gerus and Afsha areas of Iran. These rugs are unique
in a way that they use two wefts, making the carpet extremely heavy, stiff and
durable. A thicker weft is beaten down tightly between rows of knots alongside
a thinner weft in order to make the pile compact, so thick and dense that it
stands vertically, preventing it from lying down. Bijar rugs are exceptionally tough;
however, they should not be folded for transportation but should be rolled
instead to prevent the tight foundation from cracking.
The foundation can be made of cotton, wool
or camel wool depending on the age of the rug. The pile is invariably made of
wool, clipped to a medium height. Patterns vary and are indistinguishable to
other rugs however Herati and Mina-Khani designs are popular. Colours also vary
with navy, cherry red, brown, light blue, pink, yellow, ocher, orange, beige
and ivory all being used. The method of identifying a Bijar is by its weight
and tight structure, unique to other rugs. Sizes vary enormously; it is
possibly to find both very small rugs and those much larger in size. Their
popularity, strength, durability and the fact that so much work and material is
put into their creation means that Bijar rugs are some of the best and most
expensive rugs on the market.
The characteristics of the Bijar rugs are
one of a kind and I don’t think there is any other rug in the world like it.
The only problem it possesses for sure is in terms of washing it, because it is
too heavy so therefore it might just be better to use a vacuum cleaneron it instead
and some disinfectant spray.
The deep cultural background of the Bijar
and the rich Persian heritage in terms of rugs and carpet making adds more to
the value and beauty of this rug. The exemplary craftsmanship of the Kurds and
their persistence and patience of the long and tiring days, weeks or months,
that they spend for just making a single product of such magnificent quality is
undoubtedly worthy of being categorized
as one of the most expensive rug in the world market today.
Florante Ho
Senneh rug from Iran, c. 1900; in the
possession of Neshan G. Hintlian, Washington, D.C.
In the possession of Neshan G.
Hintlian, Washington, D.C.; photograph, Otto E. Nelson
The Senneh Rugs
Senneh also spelled Senna or Sehna, handwoven floor covering made by Kurds who live in or
around the town of Senneh (now more properly Sanandaj) in western Iran. The
pile rugs and kilims of Senneh are prized for their delicate pattern and
colouring and for their fine weave. They are by far the most sophisticated of
the Kurdish rugs. The designs usually involve some repeat pattern, or
diaper, such as the herāti, in which a
diamond lattice pattern peeps through a tangle of blossoms and leaves or
through intricate versions of the boteh, a leaf with
curling tip. The entire field may show such a pattern, or a medallion scheme
may introduce a hexagonal centerpiece and straight-arched ends. The borders are
full of fine detail, often featuring paired arabesques known in the trade as
“turtles.”
The finely woven
Senneh kilims are slit tapestries of the highest quality. Their
small-scale borders are carried around the ends, as they are typically in pile
carpets but rarely in such weavings. Senneh seems to have been a favourite
place of manufacture for saddle cloths, those in pile usually provided with a
two-slope arch. Although the town of Senneh has given its name to the
asymmetrical Persian knot, it is the Turkish, or symmetrical, knot, that is
actually used there.
Kilim prayer rug
from Anatolia, 19th century; in the collection of Joseph V. McMullan.
Collection of Joseph V. McMullan;
photograph, Otto E. Nelson
The Kilim Rug
Extremely fine kilims
of silk were woven for the Ṣafavid court (1502–1735), possibly in Kāshān, and fine kilims were made during the late 19th
century in Senneh. Kilims have also been woven in parts of the Balkans,
with those from areas closest to Turkey showing
features similar to Turkish kilims
I like this kind of
rug because of the colors and pattern that are use in make this kind of rug,
while these are expensive rugs they are sure to give you satisfaction to your
design in your room or anywhere appropriate place you use this rug.
Beatrice Golingay
The Rya Rug
The Rya Rug interests me the most because of its history. This
is a rug originating from Scandinavia specifically from Sweden and Finland. The
word Rya actually means rug. It was inspired by the Yataks (bedding rugs) from
turkey. Their designs are simple ranging from different geometric designs to
stripes. Despite this being a rug from centuries ago, their style remains
modernist, luxurious and stylish that seem to adapt to the contemporary period
today. I especially like them because they have rich and bold colors that draw
you to look at the floor in an interior which is something out of the ordinary.
One would opt to look at the paintings or other accessories.
These rugs were also worn by fishermen and were also used as
insulation bed covers that can also be adapted today. It is seen in the Scandinavian
design that their walls are plain and so are their main pieces of furniture. What
draws you in are usually the throws and rugs. It somehow becomes the beating
heart of the interior – it is what keeps it alive. Most of these rugs are found
in the living room where the family spends time with each other. These have now
returned to the homes of people not only in Scandinavia but all over the world.
Not long ago, these rugs were also used as dowries. It is
interesting that something made from material that might decay after a few
hundred years might become something valuable. As a design student, it warms
your heart that seeing something like a floor rug is given value as much as
gold or precious metals and stones. Not everyone would think that it is worth
as much, but knowing this now, and seeing how this rug evolved and adapted and
braved time does make you realize that all that glitters is not gold or is
worth as much. What I think gives value
to a rug like this is the hand that had once woven it. It is the dedication:
the calluses on the hand of the maker producing every weave and placing it right.
It was the persistent thought that a rug
– something regularly stepped and trampled on could be as precious as time
itself.
