May 12, 2008
Rarity, beauty key to rugs
With antique rugs, age and beauty do not go hand in hand. Rarity, design and the condition of the rug are what appraisers look for, not the approximate date the rug was made.
Rarity is important because some types of rugs are extremely hard to come by. Rugs, as opposed to other art forms, are primarily made to be used and thus wear out over the years.
For example, few survive from nomadic tribes
who made rugs, used them until they became threadbare, then threw them out. So a nomadic
tribe rug would be far more valuable today than a very old rug, simply because of its
scarcity.
Rugs come in all shapes and sizes, with many
different origins. The Oriental rug family, consisting of rugs made from wool pile on a
cotton foundation, contains a large variety. Nomadic rugs, pre-eighteenth-century tribal
weavings, are very scarce today. Village workshop rugs were made to be sold, not used
within the tribe in which they were made. Tribal pattern rugs are very geometrical and
used as prayer rugs. Urban rugs were made in Persia and have highly stylized patterns of
flowers, animals and birds.
Chinese rugs, not part of the Oriental family,
have subtler colors than other Eastern rugs. Mostly consisting of blue, yellow, ivory,
black and brown, these rugs are the hardest to restore because it is hard to match their
wools and dyes today.
Folk rugs are another family of antique rugs.
These were American-made rugs used both in the home and for decoration.
Rag rugs consist of cloth strips woven together. Hooked rugs, a bit more difficult to make, used a homespun backing to hook wool or cotton through in intricate patterns.
Yarn-sewn rugs are very rare, as few of them
were made and few survive today. Shaker braided rugs, easily identified by their
concentric rings, were made both for use in the home and for sale in Shaker stores.
American Indian rugs are the last family of
rugs.
Geometric American Indian rugs are usually in
earth tones. Pictorial , or "sandpainting" rugs, were woven replicas of Navajo
sandpaintings. Vegetal rugs were first crafted using vegetable dyes.
Because of their beauty and quality
craftsmanship, the American Indian rugs are considered by some to be the finest textiles
made in the twentieth century.
Copyright © 2008, The Virginia Gazette
Our Town
What are your favorite areas of town? Got some great pics you want to share?
Popular stories
Download this month's issue
