Antique Rug Supplies

tribal rug

Persian and Tribal rugs history

Carpet and rug weaving in Iran (Persia) dates back to 3500 years in the bronze age, according to some experts. The oldest evidences of this art date back to the third to fifth centuries AD discovered in Eastern Turkestan, and hand-weavings of the Seljuks of Asia Minor. Carpets from Safavid dynasty (1501-1736) in the 16th century are also some of the earliest products in the history of carpet-weaving.

Although weaving of Persian rugs is predominantly mechanized now, the most popular and expensive ones are still hand woven in many parts of Iran, such as Baluch Rugs, Shiraz Rugs, and Wiss Rugs etc still reflecting the rich art and culture of ancient Persia. The Carpet Museum of Iran in Tehran houses some of the best works in the history of Persian rug weaving.

The motifs in Persian rugs commonly consist of scrolling vine networks, arabesques, palmettes, cloud bands, medallions, and overlapping geometric compartments, with silk, wool and cotton as foundations. The designs are mostly intricate bearing little resemblance to one another but unique to the specific type. However, there are some universal styles of weaving, pattern and design commonly used.

Single and double tied rugs differentiate Anatolian or Turkish and Persian rugs. Anatolian carpets are double tied – which means that for every vertical strand of thread in the rug, it has two knots. The Persian rug is single tied so it has only one knot. This allows finer image to appear on the final product because only the minimum amount of space is given for each vertical strand. This method has largely contributed to the Persian rug’s exquisiteness and popularity.

Persian city rugs such as Isfahan, Nain, Qum, Tabriz, Mashad, Kerman, Kashan etc are made with intricate designs of buds and blossoms supported by vines and tendril, and bordered by arabesques that interlace creating a well-balanced tone. Solid color filed central medallions and triangular corners are also commonly used in design. Central motif or medallion may also be replaced by an all-over design of repetitive floral icons. Blues, reds, browns, and greens are also predominant to create a lavish whole. Ground colors of border and field generally contrast without disrupting the harmony. The curvilinear pattern is achieved by increasing the intensity of knots, usually a 200-300 KPSI (knots per square inch), creating a visually curved line.

Persian Tribal rugs are usually made with natural raw materials such as dye, and mostly hand-woven. They generally have 80-100 KPSI, and designs are mostly geometric which are easier to achieve with wider spaced knots. Traditional dense floral patterns with vases, foliage, palmettes, and garden elements, small animals or plants etc are commonly used in design. These rugs are woven by the tribes in Iranian villages such as Wiss, near Hamedan; Shiraz, Central Iran; Baluch tribe in southern Iran etc. There are also tribal weavers of Caucasian and Turkoman origins. Some of the Persian tribal rugs are quite exception with weaving method following ancient Persian tradition, dating back to thousands of years.

rugs tribal

Redcorn just have-um many-times accident on tribal raccoon rug…?

…anyone know what will get the cheap tax-free beer stain out…

Oh my poor Chief!!!!

You are in big trouble! Wait until Poca see heep big spill !!!!

I SAY Raccoon rug smell bad, maybe wash with milk get smell out!

tribe rugs

Do Asian people feel offended when they are described as “Oriental”? If so, why?

The Orient is a geographical land mass to describe Turkey, Afghanistan, China, Malaysia, Japan and Persia.

Well I have noticed that the preferred term is “Asian” now and I have heard “Oriental” is offensive. However, I think it’s just that words change over time. 50 years ago it was acceptable to refer to a black person (or African American) as a Negro or a colored person. You certainly wouldn’t say that now.

The word “Negro” or “colored” while not a racial slur or outright offensive seems dated and reminds us of a different era where people of that ethnicity were treated differently than they are now. Maybe hearing the word “Oriental” carries the same connotations for Asian people.

Interesting article about “Orientals” and “Asians”

http://www.asianchamber.org/viewArticle.php?articleId=40

See also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental

kurdish rug

What is a Gabbeh Rug

In the Persian language Farsi, the word Gabbeh means something raw or uncut. A Gabbeh is a traditional variety of Persian rugs woven for centuries and are known to be the world’s best coarsely woven Iranian tribal rugs. Sometimes spelled as ‘Gabbe’, these hand-woven rugs have a size of at least 90 x 150 cm or larger and are characterized by an abstract design that relies upon fields of color and playfulness with geometry. Also an evident characteristic when it comes to Gabbeh rugs is its very thick pile woven in a relatively low knot density making it thicker than other Persian carpets. Almost exclusively knotted for personal use, these true nomadic rugs are fabricated by the woman’s spirit and instinctive craftsmanship on their personal interpretations of life in art.

Made of natural hand-spun wool yarn, all of the different colors of Gabbeh rugs are created from natural plant dye. The Gabbe has a relative ease of production having less preciseness in pattern, small number of knots, etc. It is one of the less expensive variety of Persian carpets out in the market today.

The Persian Gabbeh generally fall into one of the following categories:

1)Amalehbaft Gabbeh – these type of rugs feature a medium weave in terms of coarseness and knots-per-inch. These category of rugs have lesser designs compared to the basic Gabbeh. However, these beautiful rugs have a tighter weave, shorter pile and plain simple patterns that are great for adding color to a room without the distraction of too many design elements.

2)Luribaft Gabbeh – Features a fairly short, fine weaved soft pile. Compared to the rest of the Gabbeh categories, the Luribaft typically have more complex, detailed design elements inspired by other classical Persian rugs. Similar to the Kashkoli type, these type of Gabbeh rugs are made of tightly woven, high-quality wool that give them a unique trademark gleam.

3)Baluch Sumak – is similar to the Gabbeh Sumak, being that it is also flat woven in its design. Although less colorful than the Gabbeh Sumak, the Baluch is a gracefully, fine-detailed rug, usually with beautiful tribal design elements.

4)Gabbeh Sumak – are not like the common pile rugs but are rather flat woven. The Gabbeh Sumak has its tribal designs colorfully woven directly into its foundation. Amazingly detailed and designed, such rugs as these Gabbeh Sumak are fairly inexpensive despite its stylish quality.

5)Kashkoli Gabbeh – also features a fine weave and fairly short, soft pile. Known to be similar with the Amalehbaft and the basic Gabbeh, the Kashkoli have a sparse but colorful geometric design. The quality of the wool and the tightness of the weave make these brilliant rugs a sheen that you must see in person to believe.

The Gabbeh rugs are usually woven on horizontal looms that can be quickly and easily assembled by the nomadic people of Southern Iran. Materials such as local hand-spun sheep wool and vegetable dyes are what make up a traditional Gabbeh rug. These ingredients are extracted from native plants and roots found in the Zagros mountain range. These are then formulated from traditional recipes that has been perfected throughout the centuries. A few example of the raw materials used are pomegranate skin, madder root, indigo and walnut husks. The rich texture that emphasize the Gabbeh rugs come from the irregularities in the dye and wool that result not in a pure color, but rather a collage of similar hues.

tribal rugs

What is a Gabbeh rug?

In the Persian language Farsi, the word Gabbeh means something raw or uncut. A Gabbeh is a traditional variety of Persian rugs woven for centuries and are known to be the world’s best coarsely woven Iranian tribal rugs. Sometimes spelled as ‘Gabbe’, these hand-woven rugs have a size of at least 90 x 150 cm or larger and are characterized by an abstract design that relies upon fields of color and playfulness with geometry. Also an evident characteristic when it comes to Gabbeh rugs is its very thick pile woven in a relatively low knot density making it thicker than other Persian carpets. Almost exclusively knotted for personal use, these true nomadic rugs are fabricated by the woman’s spirit and instinctive craftsmanship on their personal interpretations of life in art.

Made of natural hand-spun wool yarn, all of the different colors of Gabbeh rugs are created from natural plant dye. The Gabbe has a relative ease of production having less preciseness in pattern, small number of knots, etc. It is one of the less expensive variety of Persian carpets out in the market today.

The Persian Gabbeh generally fall into one of the following categories:

1)Amalehbaft Gabbeh – these type of rugs feature a medium weave in terms of coarseness and knots-per-inch. These category of rugs have lesser designs compared to the basic Gabbeh. However, these beautiful rugs have a tighter weave, shorter pile and plain simple patterns that are great for adding color to a room without the distraction of too many design elements.

2)Luribaft Gabbeh – Features a fairly short, fine weaved soft pile. Compared to the rest of the Gabbeh categories, the Luribaft typically have more complex, detailed design elements inspired by other classical Persian rugs. Similar to the Kashkoli type, these type of Gabbeh rugs are made of tightly woven, high-quality wool that give them a unique trademark gleam.

3)Baluch Sumak – is similar to the Gabbeh Sumak, being that it is also flat woven in its design. Although less colorful than the Gabbeh Sumak, the Baluch is a gracefully, fine-detailed rug, usually with beautiful tribal design elements.

4)Gabbeh Sumak – are not like the common pile rugs but are rather flat woven. The Gabbeh Sumak has its tribal designs colorfully woven directly into its foundation. Amazingly detailed and designed, such rugs as these Gabbeh Sumak are fairly inexpensive despite its stylish quality.

5)Kashkoli Gabbeh – also features a fine weave and fairly short, soft pile. Known to be similar with the Amalehbaft and the basic Gabbeh, the Kashkoli have a sparse but colorful geometric design. The quality of the wool and the tightness of the weave make these brilliant rugs a sheen that you must see in person to believe.

The Gabbeh rugs are usually woven on horizontal looms that can be quickly and easily assembled by the nomadic people of Southern Iran. Materials such as local hand-spun sheep wool and vegetable dyes are what make up a traditional Gabbeh rug. These ingredients are extracted from native plants and roots found in the Zagros mountain range. These are then formulated from traditional recipes that has been perfected throughout the centuries. A few example of the raw materials used are pomegranate skin, madder root, indigo and walnut husks. The rich texture that emphasize the Gabbeh rugs come from the irregularities in the dye and wool that result not in a pure color, but rather a collage of similar hues.