Antique rugs

In the 19th century rug weaving had become increasinglyorganized in large manufactures, often run by Western businesses.Previously, weaving was done by tribal women.the men of the tribe raised the sheep, and, once the wool was washed, women took over the next steps: carding, spinning, dyeing and weaving the wool. the rug patterns were traditional and remained similar for generations. A woman expressed who she was, which family of origin hers had been and which tribe she had married into by small variations of the traditional patterns of her tribe.

Dowry pieces were made with pride and were often family heirlooms

The weavers´lives were hard in the hot and dry climates of Asia. Dusty brown was the dominant colour in the summer months. the vibrant rugs these women wove made a world of beauty and colour accessiblethat did not exist outside the tent. This tribal way of life has disappeared forever. Modern Westerners need to get accustomed to the visual language of rugs. We need to take time to look closely in order to see differences in quality. We need to compare naturally dyed rugs with chemically dyed ones. We need to develop a sensitivity for fine shades in colour. Chemically dyed wool refracts the light in a different way than naturally dyed wool does, the latter produces finely varied tones within one skein of wool, the former produces uniformly coloured wool.