THE
PRACTICAL BOOK
OF ORIENTAL RUGS
FOURTH EDITION
THE
PRACTICAL BOOKS
OF HOME LIFE ENRICHMENT
_EACH PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED,
HANDSOMELY BOUND.
Octavo. Cloth. In a slip case._
THE PRACTICAL BOOK
OF EARLY AMERICAN
ARTS AND CRAFTS
BY HAROLD DONALDSON EBERLEIN
AND ABBOT MCCLURE
THE PRACTICAL BOOK
OF ARCHITECTURE
BY C. MATLACK PRICE
THE PRACTICAL BOOK
OF ORIENTAL RUGS
BY DR. G. GRIFFIN LEWIS
NEW EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED
THE PRACTICAL BOOK OF
GARDEN ARCHITECTURE
BY PHEBE WESTCOTT HUMPHREYS
THE PRACTICAL BOOK
OF PERIOD FURNITURE
BY HAROLD DONALDSON EBERLEIN
AND ABBOT MCCLURE
THE PRACTICAL BOOK OF
OUTDOOR ROSE GROWING
BY GEORGE C. THOMAS, JR.
NEW REVISED EDITION
THE PRACTICAL BOOK OF
INTERIOR DECORATION
[Illustration: TEKKE BOKHARA RUG
Size 5'6" × 6'4"
PROPERTY OF MR. F. A. TURNER, BOSTON, MASS.
This piece is unusual in many ways. The background of old
ivory both in the borders and in the field; the old rose color of the
octagons; the difference in the number of border stripes and in the
designs of same on the sides and ends are all non-Turkoman features.
It is the only so called "white Bokhara" of which we have
any knowledge.]
THE
PRACTICAL BOOK
OF ORIENTAL RUGS
BY
DR. G. GRIFFIN LEWIS
WITH 20 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR, 93 IN DOUBLETONE
70 DESIGNS IN LINE, CHART AND MAP
_NEW EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED_
[Illustration: logo]
PHILADELPHIA & LONDON
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS
PHILADELPHIA, U.S.A.
PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION
It is most gratifying to both author and publishers that the first
edition of "The Practical Book of Oriental Rugs" has been so quickly
exhausted. Its rather remarkable sale, in spite of the fact that within
the past decade, no less than seven books on the subject have been
printed in English, proves that it is the practical part of the book
that appeals to the majority.
The second edition has been prepared with the same practical idea
paramount and quite a few new features have been introduced.
The color plates have been increased from ten to twenty; a chapter on
Chinese rugs has been inserted; descriptions of three more rugs have
been added and numerous changes and additions have been made to the text
in general.
PREFACE
Oriental rugs have become as much a necessity in our beautiful,
artistic homes as are the paintings on the walls and the various other
works of art. Their admirers are rapidly increasing, and with this
increased interest there is naturally an increased demand for more
reliable information regarding them.
The aim of the present writer has been practical--no such systematized
and tabulated information regarding each variety of rug in the market
has previously been attempted. The particulars on identification by
prominent characteristics and detail of weaving, the detailed chapter
on design, illustrated throughout with text cuts, thus enabling the
reader to identify the different varieties by their patterns; and the
price per square foot at which each variety is held by retail dealers,
are features new in rug literature. Instructions are also given for
the selection, purchase, care and cleaning of rugs, as well as for the
detection of fake antiques, aniline dyes, etc.
In furtherance of this practical idea the illustrations are not of
museum pieces and priceless specimens in the possession of wealthy
collectors, but of fine and attractive examples which with knowledge
and care can be bought in the open market to-day. These illustrations
will therefore be found of the greatest practical value to modern
purchasers. In the chapter on famous rugs some few specimens
illustrative of notable pieces have been added.
In brief, the author has hoped to provide within reasonable limits and
at a reasonable price a volume from which purchasers of Oriental rugs
can learn in a short time all that is necessary for their guidance,
and from which dealers and connoisseurs can with the greatest ease of
reference refresh their knowledge and determine points which may be in
question.
For many valuable hints the author wishes to acknowledge indebtedness
to the publications referred to in the bibliography; to Miss Lillian
Cole, of Sivas, Turkey; to Major P. M. Sykes, the English Consulate
General at Meshed, Persia; to B. A. Gupte, F. Z. S., Assistant Director
of Ethnography at the Indian Museum, Calcutta, India; to Prof. du
Bois-Reymond, of Shanghai, China; to Dr. John G. Wishard, of the
American Hospital at Teheran, Persia; to Miss Alice C. Bewer, of
the American Hospital at Aintab, Turkey; to Miss Annie T. Allen, of
Brousa, Turkey; to Mr. Charles C. Tracy, president of Anatolia College,
Morsovan, Turkey; to Mr. John Tyler, of Teheran, Persia; to Mr. E. L.
Harris, United States Consulate General of Smyrna, Turkey; to Dr. J.
Arthur Frank, Hamadan, Persia; and to Miss Kate G. Ainslie, of Morash,
Turkey.
For the use of some of the plates and photographs acknowledgment is
made to Mr. A. U. Dilley, of Boston, Mass.; to H. B. Claflin & Co., of
New York City; to Mr. Charles Quill Jones, of New York City; to Miss
Lillian Cole, of Sivas, Turkey; to Maj. P. M. Sykes, of Meshed, Persia;
to Maj. L. B. Lawton, of Seneca Falls, N. Y.; to the late William E.
Curtis, of Washington, D. C.; to _The Scientific American_ and to
_Good Housekeeping_ magazines; while thanks are due Mr. A. U. Dilley,
of Boston, Mass.; to Liberty & Co., of London; to the Simplicity Co.,
of Grand Rapids, Mich.; to the Tiffany Studios and to Nahigian Bros.,
of Chicago, Ill., for some of the colored plates, and to Clifford &
Lawton, of New York City, for the map of the Orient.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I
PAGE
INTRODUCTION 17
Age of the weaving art; Biblical reference to the weaving
art; a fascinating study; the artistic worth and other
advantages of the Oriental products over the domestic;
annual importation.
I. COST AND TARIFF 25
Upon what depends the value; the various profits made;
transportation charges; export duties; import duties;
cost compared with that of domestic products; some
fabulous prices.
II. DEALERS AND AUCTIONS 31
Oriental shrewdness; when rugs are bought by the bale;
the auction a means of disposing of poor fabrics; fake
bidders.
III. ANTIQUES 35
The antique craze; why age enhances value; what constitutes
an antique; how to determine age; antiques in
the Orient; antiques in America; celebrated antiques;
American collectors; artificial aging.
IV. ADVICE TO BUYERS 43
Reliable dealers; difference between Oriental and domestic
products; how to examine rugs; making selections;
selection of rugs for certain rooms.
V. THE HYGIENE OF THE RUG 55
The hygienic condition of Oriental factories and homes;
condition of rugs when leaving the Orient; condition of
rugs when arriving in America; United States laws regarding
the disinfection of hides; the duties of retailers.
VI. THE CARE OF RUGS 63
Erroneous ideas regarding the wearing qualities of
Oriental rugs; treatment of rugs in the Orient compared
with that in America; how and when cleaned;
how and when washed; moths; how straightened; removal
of stains, etc.
VII. THE MATERIAL OF RUGS 69
Wool, goats' hair, camels' hair, cotton, silk, hemp;
preparation of the wool; spinning of the wool.
VIII. DYES AND DYERS 75
Secrets of the Eastern dye pots; vegetable dyes; aniline
dyes; Persian law against the use of aniline; the
process of dyeing; favorite colors of different rug-weaving
nations; how to distinguish between vegetable and
aniline dyes; symbolism of colors; the individual dyes
and how made.
IX. WEAVING AND WEAVERS 87
The present method compared with that of centuries
ago; Oriental method compared with the domestic;
pay of the weavers; the Eastern loom; the different
methods of weaving.
X. DESIGNS AND THEIR SYMBOLISM 97
Oriental vs. European designs; tribal patterns; the
migration of designs; characteristics of Persian designs;
characteristics of Turkish designs; characteristics of
Caucasian designs; characteristics of Turkoman designs;
dates and inscriptions; quotations from the
Koran; description and symbolism of designs alphabetically
arranged, with an illustration of each.
XI. THE IDENTIFICATION OF RUGS 147
A few characteristic features of certain rugs; table
showing the distinguishing features of all rugs; an
example.