centuries, and a large proportion of them having been accustomed to the
nomadic and pastoral life, it is a natural inference that love of gain
and the demand from the growing towns for articles of beauty and luxury
gave the wandering tribes the opportunity to utilize their wool by
supplying the demand for rugs. Encouraged as it was under the reign of
Shah Abbas, the industry prospered. Various kings of Persia cultivated
certain branches of art and industry, but Shah Abbas especially gave a
decided impetus to rug-weaving. He had a particular fondness for the
beautiful creations of this industrial art, and the rugs made during his
reign bring fabulous prices. After his death a reaction followed. Rugs
fell into comparative disuse, and the manufacture deteriorated until
about 1850, when, thanks to the demand in Europe, the industry revived.
To-day it is in a flourishing condition and the most important source of
Persia's income.
Persians, from the Shah to the peasant, sit upon rugs when eating, with
cushions placed behind them. It is only the lowest beggar who has no
rug. The rugs used by the Persians themselves are rather small, the
larger ones being exported to foreign countries. Usually the rooms of
Persian homes are small, and narrow in proportion to their length;
consequently only small rugs are required. But even when the rooms are
large, the Persians prefer several small rugs to one large rug, as a
floor covering. They often first cover the hard-beaten ground with a
matting of split reeds, and then lay over this so many small rugs that
the matting cannot be seen. This custom is becoming more and more common
in Persia. With their taste in design and color, they produce beautiful
effects.
[Illustration: ANTIQUE PERSIAN RUG
SIZE, 15.3 × 6.7
_The tree design in its best and strongest elements is typified in this
wonderful and most interesting Persian fabrication of olden time. The
harmony of design and color is most impressive, and the size of the rug
enhances this effect. It was evidently woven by one weaver, and years of
patient labor and the greatest skill must have been bestowed on it. The
richness of coloring, the velvet-like texture, the repose of design, are
all unusual. The foundation is of a deep rich blue, and the exquisite
rose and sapphire blues and ivory tones are in the softest and richest
of permanent dyes. The border is wide, the main stripe of the rose
shade, and the coloring all so blended that the continuity of the rug is
complete. It is doubtless a product of Kurdistan._
OWNED BY MRS. POTTER PALMER, CHICAGO.]
The finest rugs are closely woven, with a pile like velvet, and with
stitches on the back that resemble needlework. A rug has scarcely
reached its prime until it has been down ten years; and it should last
for centuries, if carefully used. As a partial explanation of this
wonderful durability, it should be remembered that in their own homes
the Persians use their finest rugs for hangings, and also that they take
off their shoes before entering the house.
In ancient days rug-weaving in Persia was generally restricted to
Ispahan, Khorassan, and Shuster, but in modern times the most noted
districts are those of Sultanabad, Fars, Hamadan, Feraghan, Bijar,
Kurdistan, Khorassan, and Kirman. But the industry is so widely spread
over Persia that there is not a class of women who do not live by it,
and very often really fine pieces of work are produced in districts
where the art receives no encouragement. The districts mentioned above
are more noted for the quality of the rugs they produce than for
anything else. The rug of each district has a peculiar character of its
own, both as to the quality of the wool and the design. The
peculiarities characterizing each district are so noticeable that an
expert can generally tell at a glance where a rug was made.
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to discover the exact value of
the export and import trade of Persia. The source of this information is
naturally the Customs Administration, which in Persia exists but in
name. The duties of the ports and principal towns are farmed out to
various persons, whose interest it is to send the inquirer away as
ignorant upon the subject as he was before the interview began. But it
is possible, after a great deal of labor in collecting statistics from
the dealers of a particular article, to form an estimate probably not
very far from the truth. By this method we judge that the average yearly
export value of rugs in Aaragh (the Sultanabad district) is three
hundred thousand dollars; Hamadan one hundred thousand; Bijar one
hundred and ten thousand; Malair one hundred thousand dollars; Kurdistan
fifty thousand; Fars seventy-five thousand; Kirman and Khorassan one
hundred thousand; and in the less known districts collectively, fifty
thousand dollars. The total of these figures classes the rug export in
the very first order of exports. It is plain that this amount does not
represent the full value of the manufacture, inasmuch as a great
quantity of the goods does not leave the country. This quantity is
perhaps small in comparison with that exported, but it is large enough
to make the value nearly a million dollars.
It may be of interest to mention here that the export duty on rugs on
the average is two and a half cents per square foot, and carriage to the
seaports ten cents per square foot, while the import duty to the United
States is forty per cent _ad valorem_ and the specific duty ten cents
per square foot.
[Illustration: KHORASSAN RUG
SIZE, 10 × 26
_This is a perfect example of a Meshhed rug. The capital city of
Khorassan has furnished many characteristic specimens of fine
handicraft, but none more representative or beautiful. Here, on a
splendid rich blue field, is the elongated palm leaf, with its markings
of magenta, red, and blue. These palm-leaf designs extend over the
entire rug, which is of enormous size. The border is in harmony with the
field, and in coloring has the same deep, rich hues. The texture is firm
and the rug is very heavy and imposing, with an air of solidity and
strength. The illustration shows a section of this rug, giving a clear
idea of its detail._
OWNED BY MRS. SYDNEY RICHMOND TABOR, LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS.]
In Persia several firms have done a great deal in the way of encouraging
the industry of rug-weaving in that country. To supply the demand for
Persian rugs in Europe and America, these firms have erected buildings
in Sultanabad, where they keep the weavers under control and steadily
employed. These firms, having been long established, are conversant with
the Persians and their character; and to prevent any deception they pay
the weavers by the piece instead of by the day.
The rugs produced by these firms are of the medium quality. The wool is
bought in the rough and manipulated for use. Every day a quantity of it
is given out to the laborers, who must reproduce the design placed
before them, and each laborer is paid from two to four dollars per
square yard, according to the quality of her work. In the service of
these firms, the weaver is obliged to put aside her individual taste and
follow closely the designs, which are prepared in accordance with the
prevailing fashions abroad. The independent native weaver does not pay
any attention to the taste of the buyer. She places her work in the
local market, and the native merchant purchases it for exportation.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CERTAIN PERSIAN RUGS
_Bakhshis_ rugs are made in a small village in the district of
Azerbijan, and in the neighborhood of Herez. Those of thirty years ago
were excellent, but now the materials of which they are made are poor,
the rugs badly woven and of indifferent coloring. They come in large
sizes, usually having a medallion in the centre.
_Bibikabad_ rugs are quite modern, and are supplied to the market at
Hamadan. Aniline dyes prevail, and the rugs are of inferior design and
texture.
_Bijar_ rugs of olden time were artistic; of those of to-day this
statement cannot be truthfully made. The wool is still fine and silky,
but there is an element of crudeness of design and a defiance of the
laws governing color. A pronounced medallion in the centre is usually
seen. This is set in a solid field of a strong contrasting color.
Sometimes the field is of a bright red or blue, with the medallion
omitted. The borders are generally in the same color as the field, or in
camel's hair, sometimes covered with crude figures of human beings or
animals, or decorated with flowers in vivid red, yellow, or green. The
rugs are heavy, and in the American markets are known as _Sarakhs_.
[Illustration: BIJAR (SARAKHS) RUG
SIZE, 6.9 × 11.4
_The texture of this rug is very fine. It is thick and soft, and very
compact and smooth. There is a force both in color and design. On a deep
blue field rests a medallion in rather strong colors, red, blue, green,
and ivory. Heavily ornamented corner areas in the same shades give to
the whole design a certain symmetry, and a wide floral border with much
ivory gives an air of solidity._]
_Birjand_ rugs (so called) are woven almost exclusively in the village
of Daraksh, about fifty miles northeast of Birjand. The weavers of these
rugs came originally from Herat. The rugs are generally satisfactory,
the weaving being fine, although the pile is often uneven.
_Burujird_ rugs are made sixty miles from Sultanabad, and south of
Hamadan. They resemble in their field and in the firm texture the
Saraband rug, the palm-leaf design being arranged throughout the field.
The border is mainly white, with minute variations of the palm design.
_Djushaghan_ rugs are woven in a district south of Feraghan. They are
durable and attractive. The Shah Abbas design is a favorite one in
antique rugs of this kind. The field is generally of a rich red, and
occasionally a rare sage green. Often there is a lighter shade in the
border than in the field. Crosses with angular ends are a feature, and
between these are floral designs.
_Feraghan_ rugs of olden time are as satisfactory as any rugs handed
down to us. They are so harmonious in coloring and design as to be most
restful to the eye. They have a richness and sheen that make them most
desirable, and when to the usual soft colors a deep violet is added the
attractiveness increases. A distinguishing feature is the Herati design,
covering a field usually of a rich deep blue. Sometimes the Guli Hinnai
design is observed, with its more elaborate treatment. The border is
often a light ground covered with a design in the form of rosettes and
palmettes connected by a running vine. The main border stripe is
frequently in a rich green and sometimes of a deep rose. When there are
corner areas and a centre medallion they are arranged so symmetrically
that the harmony is complete. The colors in these areas and the
medallion are often in cream, light green, or red. At the present time
Feraghan exports annually a large number of rugs rather loosely woven,
but soft and durable. These are made by the Bactrian tribes. The entire
centre is often filled with rather small irregular figures on a dark
blue field. Yellow is often employed in a modern Feraghan, both in the
border and in the field. Quite an important feature of Feraghan and
other places of high altitude is the rug-woven saddlebag. When stuffed,
such bags make comfortable sofa-pillows, or they can be placed as seats
on chairs. Throughout Asia, saddlebags are used for the transportation
of household and personal effects and other goods, and by children for
their schoolbooks.
[Illustration: CAMEL'S HAIR RUG FROM HAMADAN
SIZE, 4.1 × 2.8
_This rug is an example of the Hamadan weave, which is so frequently
met. The field of camel's hair is in the natural color. The medallion in
the centre is woven mainly in red, as is also the border of the mat.
Both these, however, are ornamented with green, white, maroon, orange,
and a few black lines. There is a fringe at each end of the rug, but at
one end it is much deeper than at the other._]
_Görevan_ rugs are woven in the neighborhood of Herez. They are exported
in large sizes, and are generally rather showy and elaborate. Quite firm
and durable, they are popular for dining-rooms. As they are in great
demand in the trade, they are turned out too rapidly, but careful
selection brings happy results, for sometimes a truly beautiful rug,
with rich warm coloring and a medallion not too pronounced, is found.
_Hamadan_ rugs are generally of camel's hair, although sometimes goat's
hair is added. The field is in the natural shade, as is the surrounding
border. An elongated medallion appears in the centre; this is ornamented
with floral designs in red, blue, and yellow, as are also the corner
areas. Antique Hamadans are very beautiful. Soft and silky, yet with
firmness of texture, and in subdued coloring, they seem appropriate for
any room. Some of them, with fine, delicate tracery, in soft shades,
remind one of beautiful stained glass seen in the old cathedrals of
Europe.
_Herat_ rugs are now woven in Persia by tribes originally from
Afghanistan. The old city of Herat was under Persian influence, which
accounts for the fine character of its rugs. The modern Herat rug is of
excellent quality and durable. The leading design is naturally the
Herati, and again one sees the palm leaf with its apexes all pointing in
the same direction. The field is generally a deep blue, although
sometimes a rich red, and even ivory. Green is apt to be the main color
in the border, and occasionally the butterfly motif is noticed. Some of
the modern rugs have medallion centres, in which the wool is generally
red or blue, and sometimes green or yellow.
_Herez_ rugs are attractive, the chief color often being a fine blue,
upon which rests a pronounced medallion. The corners are defined by
serrated lines, and are in shades of the red in autumn leaves. Often
these corners are decorated with small designs. The main border stripe
is light in color--often cream--with good-sized markings. Herez rugs are
made in the province of Azerbaijan.
_Iran_ is the official name for Persia, and when a rug is called by this
name, the meaning is simply that it is a Persian rug.
[Illustration: FERAGHAN RUG
SIZE, 24.8 × 15
_This is a most unusual antique Feraghan. It is rare to find an antique
of such enormous size, and the marvellous sheen and good preservation of
the rug render it a choice specimen. The texture is like velvet in its
softness, the Persian knotting is firm, and the shadings of green, rose,
blue, yellow, purple, violet, and red all blend in perfect harmony. The
pile is even, and the border with its exquisite hues is a study in color
blending. The green of the widest border-stripe is particularly
reposeful in effect._
OWNED BY MR. BYRON L. SMITH, LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS.]
_Ispahan_ rugs are antiques. During the sixteenth century and the reign
of the great Shah Abbas, and even earlier, these magnificent fabrics
were woven. Superb in coloring, with beautiful designs and of superior
workmanship, the examples still in existence are indeed precious. In
these old rugs one finds a field of red that is rich and rare. It looks
like carmine, and then again it seems as if one were looking into a
goblet containing the choicest wine of past centuries. Once seen, the
shade is not forgotten. So also with the wonderful moss-like green that
occupies the main border and the running vines of the Ispahan rug.
Black--the most corrosive of all dyes--although used, has disappeared,
leaving only the foundation. A medallion, star-form in effect, often
occupies the centre. Over the field are scattered palmettes and lotus
forms, all connected by running vines. A wide middle border between two
narrow stripes holds the rosette and palmette, and also the lancet leaf,
in tiny form. When cloud bands are seen they show Chinese influence, as
do the lotus forms.
_Kara Dagh_ rugs are made by nomads who are called Aylauts, and who live
in the mountainous region north of Tabriz. In appearance, as well as in
texture and size, they resemble those produced in the Caucasian province
of Karabagh on the other side of the boundary. The natural color of the
camel's hair, and rose color too, are much used. Sometimes the camel's
hair is mixed with goat's hair. The designs are floral and rather
striking in effect.
_Kermanshah_ rugs of modern make have usually a medallion with a lotus
motif in the centre of the field. This is generally of ivory, ornamented
in soft tones of blue, green, or rose. The usual light effect of the rug
makes it rather more suitable for a reception room or a bedroom than for
other places. There are, however, deeper tones in these rugs, and
sometimes there are no medallions. Perhaps the rug is most pleasing
with the palm-leaf design and that of the tree, or with many birds and
various floral conceptions. The borders blend harmoniously with the rest
of the rug. The finest rugs of Kermanshah were formerly made in the
palace of the Governor, and many were presented to leading rulers.
_Khorassan_ rugs are woven in the province of that name and are
characterized by various forms. A long palm effect or floral design is
apt to be in the borders of antique Khorassans; and a prominent color in
these rugs is magenta, which, though sometimes rather harsh in the
modern rugs, is soft and beautiful in the antiques. Blue is also a
leading color, and animals, including the lion and the gazelle; birds of
several varieties; flowers symmetrically arranged, and geometrical
forms, are all often seen. The Herati design is a usual one. When
stripes occur in the field they are beautifully decorated with small
floral designs or with the palm, and occasionally with that migratory
insect, the locust. The rugs are unevenly clipped, which gives a soft,
lustrous effect. Meshhed, the capital city of Khorassan, weaves rugs of
fine colors; the palm leaf when represented on this rug is very large
and impressive, often on a deep blue field. Animals and birds are
frequently seen on the Meshhed rug.
_Kirman_ rugs, made in the province of Irak-Ajemi, frequently have a
medallion in the centre, entwined with flowers. Sometimes the Tree of
Life is represented, its branches bearing different fruits, and often
there are symbolical little birds in the border. Sometimes a vase of
flowers is the principal ornament, or several small trees either with or
without foliage. Silk has often been introduced into the old rugs with
charming effect. The Kirman rug is one of the most easily recognizable.
It is of very fine quality, and is highly decorative. Antique rugs of
this kind have the finest of wool, and, with the artistic arrangement of
beautiful flowers, cypress trees, and palm effects, are most pleasing.
One of the finest in this country is reproduced in this volume with a
description accompanying it.
_Kurdistan_ (the Persian portion) is a large region inhabited by the
nomadic tribes called Kurds; and the sheep and goats belonging to these
tribes furnish the fine wool that is woven into Kurdish rugs. The color
effects are generally good. Often dark blues and reds form the
groundwork, in the centre of which is a lozenge or large diamond form
ornamented with small designs of the palm leaf. Then, again, a repeated
design is laid out over the field. Designs of the tree, palm, and
rosette, and various floral forms appear. By examining the web at one
end, a design in colored wool is generally found. In one of these rugs
in my own collection the centre contains twelve different symbolical
designs, including the turtle, comb, star, and cross, while the corner
areas and borders hold at least thirty-five others. All of them are so
carefully woven that much thought must have been bestowed upon this very
strong, splendid rug.
_Laristan_ (see Niris) rugs.
_Meshhed_ (see Khorassan) rugs.
_Mir-Saraband_ (see Saraband) rugs.
_Muskabad_ (see Sultanabad) rugs.
_Niris_ rugs are made a little to the southeast of Shiraz, in the
province of Laristan, and the latter name is that used in the Western
markets. All around Lake Niris are pastured sheep with fine lustrous
wool which is used in the manufacture of rugs. In the modern ones floral
and geometric stripes often alternate through the field, or there is a
medallion in the centre of a plain field, with corner areas. The border
carries several designs. There is a checked effect in the webbing at the
ends. The rugs are very strong and excellent for hard use. In the older
ones blue was used in the field, with rather large forms of the palm
leaf.
_Oustri-Nan_ rugs have the palm-leaf design over the field, and a good
deal of white in the borders. They are firm and durable.
_Saraband_ (Serebend) rugs are woven in the district of Sarawan. They
always have a distinct feature in the small palm leaves that fill the
field. These leaves have the hook turned at the top from left to right
in one row, and right to left in the next. Usually the field that these
palm leaves adorn is soft red or rose in color. Again it may be deep
blue, or occasionally ivory, in which case the palm design is in red or
blue. The border is always harmonious, and there are many narrow stripes
which form it. The widest one is generally in an ivory tone, while the
undulating vine and small flower forms appear in some of the borders.
Then, too, one finds the Caucasian influence in some of the borders, and
the reciprocal trefoil is often seen. Occasionally a human figure is
carefully outlined in the border, and this brings a personal element
into the rug. Then again, the date is woven in. Mir is the name of the
village in this district where the design had its source, and in the
trade to-day the finest of these rugs is often called _Mir-Saraband_.
_Sarakhs_ (see Bijar) rugs.
_Saruk_ rugs are very closely woven in the hamlet bearing this name. The
floral designs scattered over the field of rose, dark red, or blue show
a spontaneity of workmanship that is not governed by Western enterprise,
though, curiously enough, aniline dyes prevail. The wool is very fine.
The border is composed of a wide middle stripe, with a narrow one on
either side.
_Savalan_ (see Sultanabad) rugs.
_Serapi_ (see Sirab) rugs.
_Shiraz_, the capital city of Pars, has exported some of the most
interesting and exquisite rugs in existence. In the sixteenth century
Shiraz was at the height of its prosperity, and all the neighboring
country was noted for its flocks of sheep, which produced the finest of
wool. Rugs were made at Shiraz for the reigning Shahs, who had palaces
there, and the workmanship displayed in them was most beautiful. The
city was visited by an earthquake in 1853, and since that catastrophe
the manufacture of rugs has not regained its former prosperity; yet
great improvement has been shown in recent years, and the same vegetable
dyes are still in use. The Shiraz is often called the Mecca rug, as it
is the one frequently selected by pilgrims to that city. Deep rich blues
are often seen in a Shiraz rug, and frequently stripes extend throughout
the centre, as well as in the border, where diamond forms and crosses
are also frequently seen. The medallion and the palm leaf are also
found. Many Persian poets have sung of the wonderful rose gardens of
Shiraz, and the rug weaver there has faithfully reproduced in glorious
hues these beautiful flowers. Other flowers, too, decorate this rug. The
webbing at the ends is embroidered in colored yarns.
[Illustration: SHIRAZ RUG
SIZE, 4.3 × 7
_The field of this rug is marked with narrow perpendicular stripes of
soft yellows, rose, deep blues, and ivory. These mellow tones of color
are all thickly studded with a fine floral design in contrasting shades.
The palm-leaf design, minute but distinct, is in pale green, with
markings of blue and rose. The border stripes of tan, dark rich blue,
and rose are floral in effect. The rug is heavy, firm, and of fine
texture. Fringed ends finish this beautiful example of the Shiraz._
OWNED BY MR. WILL J. DAVIS, CHICAGO.]
_Sinna_ rugs are made in the province of Irak-Ajemi. They have a very
fine texture, and are greatly prized by rug-lovers. The pile is of the
best wool, and very closely cut. The Herati design, minutely woven,
often occupies the entire field. Again, a lozenge-shaped figure is in
the centre, and covered with the most delicate tracery. The field of the
rug is often in white or ivory, or in soft blue, red, yellow, or even
peach-blow tint. Yellow is used frequently in the border and corner
areas. Often the finest of these rugs will be puckered near the edges;
that is because the yarn is so tightly twisted in the weaving. Owing in
part to this firm twisting and also to the fine, close knotting, there
is much durability in the best specimens.