Persian – v - Oriental
When you look at a handmade rug, what do you see? Little is appreciated as to what goes into its production: the sheering of the sheep, the washing of the wool and the dying according to the intended design, for richly coloured decors, or for subtle.
Although hand-woven, weaving styles are not the same, which experienced dealers can recognise from the knots on the back. The question is as to whether it is preferable to buy a rug woven in Iran, rather than a more economically priced one woven elsewhere. Although perhaps irrelevant, the advantage of an Iranian rug is that it will realise a better price if you ever want to sell it. If relevant, there are rugs woven in other countries of immense beauty or woven in colours rarely to be found among those from Iran.
Handmade?
What is relevant is whether the rug is truly handwoven, which can normally be determined by whether the design can be seen on the back. But beware! Some rugs are now produced in Iran and Turkey by machine rather than by hand, with the designs clearly visible on the back, often taking seasoned dealers by surprise.
Quality
Of the factors that contribute to the value of a rug is the closeness of the knots. This can be recognised by scratching across the back of rug with a fingernail. As with musical instruments, the higher the tone the closer the knot. However, sometimes the yarn can be so thick that although woven with lower knot-counts, are so dense as to be practically indestructible.
Two qualities referred to by number are those woven in Tabriz and Nain. 40-Raj qualities from the city of Tabriz are comparable to those such as from the famous city of Kashan, allowing for bolder designs. Whist 50 and 60-Raj, with very much more compact knotting have more clearly defined designs, those of 70-Raj, usually with highlights in silk and even woven wholly in silk, 70-Raj is the collector’s quality, with the weft and warp also silk, rarely to be found in the market today.
‘La’ qualities from the city of Nain replicate the classic designs of those of the adjoining holy city of Isfahan, though woven without any bright colours. 9-La Nains, the lowermost quality, are often indistinguishable from less expensive qualities, woven in the city of Tabas. 6-La Nains are to be found with some of the design highlighted in silk. 4-La is the connector’s quality, sometimes entirely silk, rarely to be found.
Silk or artificial?
Rugs are usually woven in wool. If said to be of silk, these will usually be from the Iranian cities of Kashan, Tabriz, Nain and Isfahan. Otherwise, due to the cost of silk, the yarn will probably be artificial, meaning cotton or viscose.
Antique?
Like all antiques, the older a rug, the more valuable, even if worn, if this is your taste. However, there is a technique by which newly woven rugs are made to look antique, where the pile is worn down by hand or machine, to give it an antique look (currently in fashion). Another technique is to bleach out the colours by a chemical washing process and then, if desired, to dye it in particular colours. Yet another is to cut a small piece out and to sew-in a piece to make it appear as if it is genuinely old. Very popular in the 70’s, was to reduce the colours through a washing process which, depending on the colours of the original yarn, produced a charming ‘abrush’ effect, with the original shades re-appearing.
Cleaning
Rugs only need to be cleaned professionally if they are deeply soiled. Otherwise, a surface clean with an off-the-shelf product, or lightly with a mild soap is sufficient to bring them up to their original, brighter appearance.
LEON NORELL
8 Atlas Business Centre, Oxgate Lane (entrance in Oxgate Lane) London NW2 7HJ
Tel: 020 3441 5803 Email: leon@leonnorell.com
Thank you.