European Rugs - France

Seventeenth-century French hand-knotted carpets are rare today, but examples from the Savonnerie and Aubusson workshops are much sought. The name Savonnerie is a term that is often applied generically to all hand-knotted carpets of French origin, and indicates pile carpets of extreme luxury. The Savonnerie workshop was founded in 1627 in Chaillot, in a former soap works. From the start, the intention was to produce carpets of superb technical quality, using only the best materials and the finest knotting with a deep, velvet-like pile. Carpets were woven purely for the court or the state, and closely reflected the tastes of the period - heavy, scrolling acanthus leaves and dark grounds during Louis XIV's reign; rococo with twisting leaves and floral swags during the time of Louis XV; and a more restrained style for Louis XVI.

At Aubusson, an early tapestry-weaving center, two completely different types of carpet were woven - pile carpets, similar but inferior to those of the Savonnerie, in weaving and materials; and flat-woven carpets using the tapestry technique, which were quicker, easier and cheaper and were bought by the nobility and better-off merchants. They followed the stylistic evolution of Savonnerie carpets, but had simpler designs. The style of both Savonnerie and Aubusson carpets had an enormous influence on overseas production, so between the end of the 18th century and the mid-19th century, the French carpet became - even in the Orient and especially in Anatolia - the model to imitate.

During the 19th century, a number of needlework schools came into existence in France and the United States, and a great many fine carpets were produced.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Bokhara Repair

At Rug Ideas, we see new rugs every day that need cleaning, repair or both. But what may surprise people is that we often have other rug stores/dealers as clients who often need repair on their rugs. And when they need a repair they contact us as we have over a half century of expertise in dealing with expert repairs of all types of rugs. Last week one of our rug dealer clients came in with a Bokhara rug that needed some attention. Taker a look below:

As you can see the ends were unraveling which is not only an eyesore but also meant that if it continued it could possibly unravel into the design of the rug. Luckily the owner decided to take action before that happened. We are well known in the community for outstanding repair work and we have a great team of master weavers to repair the myriad of problems that a rug may encounter. He knew the rug would be in good hands with us, and we proceeded with the repairs right away. All the work was done by hand, and the securing of the ends came out great. Take a look below at the results:

This rug is now in great condition; look wise as well as structurally sound. If you have a rug that is doing some unraveling as well, bring it in to Rug Ideas where we can stop the damage and get it back to it's former beauty!

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Turkish Rugs - City Workshops

Old Turkish carpets were woven in reds and dark and light blues, with rows of repeated lozenges, eight pointed stars, and hooked octagons. Many were woven in Ushak, which until the 16th and 17th centuries was the principal center for the Ottoman aristocracy.

Carpet production is a relatively recent occurence in the Hereke area in western Turkey, where carpet weaving was first introduced during the mid-19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. It is now the source of some of Turkey's most sophisticated carpets, which are distinguished by their elegance and the use of the Senneh knot, and sometimes with gold threads in the weaving of silk carpets. The style was inspired by Persian and French designs, and many follow the designs, and many follow the designs coming out of Kerman and Tabriz, while others were influenced by the Savonnerie and Aubusson carpets. Traditional Persian designs include motifs such as cloudbands, palmettes, and other floral elements in a purely curvilinear style, often with a central medallion and wide borders.

The villages between the towns of Kayseri and Sivas in eastern Turkey produce short pile rugs in a very broad range of designs, from sophisticated, curvilinear patterns influenced by those of Tabriz and Isfahan in Persia and adapted by the local Armenian weavers, to much more geometric styles and prayer rugs. All these patterns are worked in the red, blue, or ivory grounds that are favored in the West. What the weavers produce is controlled nowadays by a central buying policy, so that, no matter whether the rugs are in silk or wool, they are among the finest woven today.

sourced from 'Carpet Style' by Barty Phillips

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

City Workshops

Cities, such as Tabriz, Kerman, Kashan, and Meshed, are historically the largest in Iran and the most important centers of trade. During the "court" period (late 16th to early 18th centuries), finely knotted silk carpets, with gold and silver threads woven, were woven for the Safavid nobility. A court miniaturist created the designs, which were then converted to cartoons and used as models for the weavers. Persian artists, constantly searching for something new, devised more and more complex designs, and often introduced religious and poetic verses into the rug.

Court carpet workshops closed in the early 18th century, when the towns were occupied by the Afghans. In the 1920's, however, workshop carpets from these cities began to appear in Europe again, and they are still among the most outstanding oriental carpets that it is possible to find. The pile is cut very short, so that the contours of the pattern emerge very clearly. Almost all the city workshop carpets have a bright ground and symmetrical design. Medallions are often lobed, with 8 or 16 points.

Best-quality carpets are not normally woven in very large sizes, because they take several years to make. Many city carpets are renowned for their fine detailing. The pictorial rugs are justly famous, and include the four seasons (an allegory of the life of an Azerbaijanian peasant), ruins of mosques and palaces (of which there are many in the area), and magnificent vases and bowls found by archaeologists. Meshed carpets usually date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the most common design is the medallion, usually round or elongated in shape, and decorated with pendants and floral motifs. They are sometimes made with the jufti knot, which originated in the region. The coarser qualities are not particularly hard-wearing.

*sourced from 'Carpet Style' by Barty Phillips

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Rugs From Iran (Part I)

For many people, the terms "Oriental Rug" and "Persian Rug" are mistakenly synonymous. The Persian Empire was where rug making reached its zenith during the sixteenth century, and many of the traditional patterns and weaving techniques are still being practiced in Iran. In addition, there are other types of rug weaving in Iran which range with simple pieces produced by nomadic people to sophisticated rugs produced in workshops which have preserved the historic Persian art.

The Persian Empire once extended from China in the East to Hungary in the West. Today only the rugs woven in Iran are referred to as Persian. Iranian rugs are usually named after the town where they are produced, and a few examples are Kerman, Sarouk, Tabriz and Heriz. Each area has its traditional patterns and typical palette of colors. The design in Iranian rugs reflects the Persian passion for detail and displays an intricate interplay between geometric and floral patterns.

Come into Rug Ideas so we can show you our large selection of handmade rugs from Iran... great pieces of artwork that can used in your home.

sourced from 'The Mystique Of Oriental Rugs'

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085