The Art Of Rugs

 The oldest know area rugs was woven sometime during the fifth century BC and this rug was unearthed by Russian archeologist Professor Rodenko in 1949 out in frozen Siberia. It had been part of the burial at a Scythian site and was well preserved by the freezing temperatures. Prior to this find little was know about the weaving methods because all our knowledge had been gathered from ancient texts. This carpet showed pile weaving to be a very old craft. Called the Pazyrvk rug this is a carpet of Persia. It is possible to view it if you make your way to St Petersburg formerly Leningrad and search it out in the magnificent Hermitage Museum. The Pazyrvk is a square rug six by 6 feet and the weave it uses is symmetrical knotting with a density of 225 knots per square inch. It is exact origins can’t be known for sure and it can never be known if it was important to it is final site or if it was made close by in Siberia. Scholars think however that is is a rug from the Achaemenian dynasty who were Persias rulers between 550 and 331 before Christ. A knot weave known as Senney is to be found on yet another old carpet found in Siberia. The rugs is dated to some point during the final century before Christ. Looking to the texts gives us carpet dates much earlier in history however. King Cyrus the founder of the Persian dynasty and known as the Great was known to have palaces decorated with the magnificent rugs of Persia. One of the most famous of all rugs has never been found. This rug is known from the ancient texts and belonged to King Khosrau I the ruler of Persia for 48 years up to 579 AD. The rug has a name the Spring of Khosrau and the texts say that this carpet flat woven and not made in one piece like most carpets. Two huge and very famous rugs were designed by Maqsud of kashan and made during 1539 and 1540. Designed as a pair each rug measures about 36 feet in length and 17 feet in width. They are made from silk thread and woven with asymmetrical knots with a density of 300 knots per square inch. The designers own name has been incorporated into the design. One of the two rugs is on show in London at the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. Here one finds a perfect looking complete rug, but in fact both had suffered damage and the V&A’s rug features parts taken from it is sister. The rug used for spares is also on display to the public this time in Los Angeles California at the Country Museum of Art. You can see the holes where patches were taken to make one rug complete. It is our good fortune that some examples of this ancient art have come down to us today. Iran is the modern day name for Persia and the country continues it’s noble tradition of rug making. It’s perfectly possibly to buy rugs as home furnishing to lend that regal touch that Cyrus the Great would have known. Spanish settlers in Northern America brought with them the non-native sheep in the 16th century. With the wool that was shorn from these sheep and their descendents Native Americans made rugs. Pueblo Indians the Ute and Navajo tribes were amongst those specializing in marvelous rugs during 18th and 19th century. Needless to say any surviving rugs are now highly collectible and magnificent rugs have been made by people all over the planet. Aside from their beauty these rugs document the civilization that made them. Cheap rugs normally are simple in design and have less durability but still can give extra touch to your home look.

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