Title: The Practical Book of Oriental Rugs
Author: G. Griffin Lewis
Release date: February 19, 2017 [eBook #54196]
Most recently updated: October 23, 2024
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Matthias Grammel and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
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
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
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.
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.
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.
PART I
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.
PART II
XII. General Classification 161 How they receive their names; trade names; geographical classification of all rugs.
XIII. Persian Classification 169 Persian characteristics; the knot; the weavers; factories in Persia; Persian rug provinces; description of each Persian rug, as follows: Herez, Bakhshis, Gorevan, Serapi, Kara Dagh, Kashan, Souj Bulak, Tabriz, Bijar (Sarakhs, Lule), Kermanshah, Senna, Feraghan (Iran), Hamadan, Ispahan (Iran), Joshaghan, Saraband (Sarawan, Selvile), Saruk, Sultanabad (Muskabad, Mahal, Savalan), Niris (Laristan), Shiraz (Mecca), Herat, Khorasan, Meshed, Kirman, Kurdistan.
XIV. Turkish Classification 217 The rug-making districts of Turkey in Asia; annual importation of Turkish rugs; Turkish weavers; the knot; Turkish characteristics; the Kurds; description of each Turkish rug, as follows: Kir Shehr, Oushak, Karaman, Mujur, Konieh, Ladik, Yuruk, Ak Hissar (Aksar), Anatolian, Bergama, Ghiordes, Kulah, Makri, Meles (Carian), Smyrna (Aidin, Brousa), Mosul.
XV. Caucasian Classification 253 The country; the people; Caucasian characteristics; description of each Caucasian rug, as follows: Daghestan, Derbend, Kabistan (Kuban), Tchetchen (Tzitzi, Chichi), Baku, Shemakha (Soumak, Kashmir), Shirvan, Genghis (Turkman), Karabagh, Kazak.
XVI. Turkoman Classification 277 Turkoman territory; Turkoman characteristics; description of each Turkoman rug, as follows: Khiva Bokhara (Afghan), Beshir Bokhara, Tekke Bokhara, Yomud (Yamut), Kasghar, Yarkand, Samarkand (Malgaran).
XVII. Beluchistan Rugs 295 The country; the people; Beluchistan characteristics; description and cost of Beluchistan rugs.
XVIII. Chinese Rugs 301 Slow to grow in public favor; exorbitant prices; geographical classification; classification according to designs; Chinese designs and their symbolism; the materials; the colors.
XIX. Ghileems, Silks, and Felts 311 How made; classification, characteristics, uses, description of each kind.
Silks 316 Classification, colors, cost, wearing qualities. Felts 318 How made; their use; cost.
XX. Classification According to Their Intended Use 321 Prayer Rugs. How used; the niche; designs; how classified; prayer niche designs with key.
Hearth Rugs, Grave Rugs, Dowry or Wedding Rugs, Mosque Rugs, Bath Rugs, Pillow Cases, Sample Corners, Saddle Bags, Floor Coverings, Runners, Hangings.
XXI. Famous Rugs 331 Museum collections; private collections; the recent Metropolitan Museum exhibit; age and how determined; description and pictures of certain famous rugs.
Glossary 341 Giving all rug names and terms alphabetically arranged, with the proper pronunciation and explanation.
Bibliography 359 Giving an alphabetically arranged list of all rug literature in the English language.
Index 363
RUGS COLORED PLATES PAGE
Tekke Bokhara rug Frontispiece Meshed prayer rug 22 Khorasan carpet 32 Saruk rug 40 Shiraz rug 52 Anatolian mat 60 Ghiordes prayer rug 66 Ladik prayer rug 74 Daghestan rug 84 Kazak rug 94 Kazak rug 144 Shirvan rug 158 Saruk rug 166 Kulah hearth rug 216 Shirvan rug 250 Beshir Bokhara prayer rug 274 Daghestan prayer rug 292 Chinese rug 300 Chinese rug 306 Chinese cushion rug
318
DOUBLETONES
The Metropolitan animal rug 26 Bergama prayer rug 46 Symbolic Persian silk (Tabriz) rug 48 Symbolic Persian silk rug 98 Semi-Persian rug (European designs) 100 Shiraz prayer rug 104 Hamadan rug 110 Feraghan rug 114 Kermanshah rug (modern) 118 Khiva prayer rug 120 Kir Shehr prayer rug 130 Konieh prayer rug 138 Tekke Bokhara strip 150 Tekke Bokhara saddle half 162 Herez carpet 172 Gorevan carpet 176 Serapi carpet 178 Kashan silk rug 180 Tabriz rug 182 Bijar rug 186 Senna rug 188 Feraghan rug 190 Hamadan rug 192 Ispahan rug 194 Saraband rug 198 Mahal carpet 202 Niris rug 204 Shiraz rug 206 Shiraz rug 208 Kirman prayer rug 210 Kirman rug 212 Kurdistan rug (Mina Khani design) 214 Kir Shehr prayer rug 220 Kir Shehr hearth rug 222 Konieh prayer rug 224 Maden (Mujur) prayer rug 226 Ladik prayer rug 228 Yuruk rug 230 Ak Hissar prayer rug 232 Bergama rug 236 Ghiordes prayer rug 238 Kulah prayer rug 240 Meles rug 242 Meles rug 244 Makri rug 246 Mosul rug 248 Daghestan rug 254 Daghestan prayer rug 256 Kabistan rug 258 Tchetchen or Chichi rug 260 Baku rug 262 Shemakha, Sumak or Cashmere rug 264 Shirvan rug 266 Genghis rug 268 Karabagh rug 270 Kazak rug (Palace design) 272 Khiva Bokhara rug 278 Beshir Bokhara rug 280 Tekke Bokhara rug 282 Tekke Bokhara (Princess Bokhara, Khatchlie) prayer rug 284 Yomud rug 286 Samarkand rug 290 Beluchistan rug 296 Senna Ghileem rug 312 Kurdish Ghileem rug 314 Merve Ghileem rug 316 Kurdish Ghileem rug 316 Saddle cloth, saddle bags and powder bag 324 Kirman saddle bags 326 Bijar sample corner 328 Ardebil Mosque carpet 330 Berlin Dragon and Phœnix rug 332 East Indian hunting rug 334 The Altman prayer rug 336 The Baker hunting rug
338
RUG MAKING, ETC.
A Persian rug merchant 38 Expert weaver and inspector 38 Spinning the wool 72 Persian dye pots 80 A Persian village 80 A Turkish loom 88 The Senna and Ghiordes knots 90 Youthful weavers 90 A Persian loom 92 A wooden comb 92 A Kurdish guard 124 The Emir of Bokhara and his ministers 134 Turkomans at home 134 Characteristic backs of rugs 152 Inspecting rugs at Ispahan 170 Persian villages near Hamadan 170 Turkomans 276 Having a pot of tea at Bokhara 288 A street in Samarkand 288 The rug caravan
376
DESIGNS
Angular hook 101 Barber-pole stripe 102 Bat 103 Beetle 103 Butterfly border design 104 Caucasian border design 105 Chichi border design 105 Chinese fret 106 Chinese cloud band 106 Comb 108 Crab border design 108 Greek cross 109 Fish bone border design 112 Galley border design 112 Georgian border design 112 Ghiordes border design 113 Herati border design 114 Herati field design 114 Knot of destiny 116 Kulah border design 116 Lamp 117 Lattice field 117 Link 118 Lotus 118 Lotus border design 119 Greek meander 119 Pole medallion 120 Mir or Saraband border design 120 Octagon 122 Palace or sunburst 122 Pear 123 Pear border design 124 Reciprocal saw-teeth 126 Reciprocal trefoil 126 Lily or Rhodian field design 126 Lily or Rhodian border design 126 Ribbon border design 127 Rooster 127 Rosette 128 S forms 129 Scorpion border design 129 Shirvan border design 130 Shou 131 Solomon's seal 131 Star 133 Swastika 134 T forms 134 Tae-kieh 135 Tarantula 135 Tekke border designs 135 Tekke field designs 135 Tomoye 136 Tortoise border designs 136 Tree designs 137 Wine-glass border designs 138 Winged disc 139 Y forms 139 Various forms of prayer-niche in rugs
322
NAMELESS DESIGNS
Persian border designs 140 Turkish border designs 141 Caucasian border designs 142 Turkoman border designs 143 Chinese border designs 143 Chinese field design 143 Kurdish field designs 143 Caucasian field design 143 Turkish field designs 143 Persian field designs
143
CHART
Showing the distinguishing features of the different rugs
156
MAP
The Orient At end of volume
Just when the art of weaving originated is an uncertainty, but there seems to be a consensus of opinion among archæologists in general that it was in existence earlier than the 24th century before Christ. The first people which we have been able with certainty to associate with this art were the ancient Egyptians. Monuments of ancient Egypt and of Mesopotamia bear witness that the products of the hand loom date a considerable time prior to 2400 B.C., and on the tombs of Beni-Hassan are depicted women weaving rugs on looms very much like those of the Orient at the present time. From ancient literature we learn that the palaces of the Pharaohs were ornamented with rugs; that the tomb of Cyrus, founder of the ancient Persian monarchy, was covered with a Babylonian carpet and that Cleopatra was carried into the presence of Cæsar wrapped in a rug of the finest texture. Ovid vividly described the weaver's loom. In Homer's Iliad we find these words: "Thus as he spoke he led them in and placed on couches spread with purple carpets o'er." The woman in the Proverbs of Solomon said, "I have woven my bed with cords, I have covered it with painted tapestry from Egypt." Job said: "My days are swifter than the weaver's shuttle and are spent without hope." Other places in the Bible where reference is made to the art of weaving are, Ex. 33, 35, Sam. 17, 7, and Isa. 38, 12. Besides Biblical writers, Plautus, Scipio, Horace, Pliny and Josephus all speak of rugs.
The Egyptian carpets were not made of the same material and weave as are the so-called Oriental rugs of to-day. The pile surface was not made by tying small tufts of wool upon the warp thread. The Chinese seem to have been the first to have made rugs in this way. Persia acquired the art from Babylon many centuries before Christ, since which time she has held the foremost place as a rug weaving nation.
There is no more fascinating study than that of Oriental rugs and there are few hobbies that claim so absorbing a devotion. To the connoisseur it proves a veritable enchantment: to the busy man a mental salvation. He reads from his rugs the life history of both a bygone and a living people. A fine rug ranks second to no other creation as a work of art and although many of them are made by semi-barbaric people, they possess rare artistic beauty of design and execution to which the master hand of Time puts the finishing touches. Each masterpiece has its individuality, no two being alike, although each may be true in general to the family patterns, and therein consists their enchantment. The longer you study them the more they fascinate. Is it strange then that this wonderful reproduction of colors appeals to connoisseurs and art lovers of every country?
Were some of the antique or even the modern pieces endowed with the gift of speech what wonderfully interesting stories they could tell and yet to the connoisseur the history, so to speak, of many of these gems of the Eastern loom is plainly legible in their weave, designs and colors. The family or tribal legends worked out in the patterns, the religious or ethical meaning of the blended colors, the death of a weaver before the completion of his work, which is afterwards taken up by another, the toil and privation of which every rug is witness, are all matters of interest only to the student.
Americans have been far behind Europeans in recognizing the artistic worth and the many other advantages of the Oriental rug over any other kind. Twenty-five years ago few American homes possessed even one. Since then a marked change in public taste has taken place. All classes have become interested and, according to their resources, have purchased them in a manner characteristic of the American people, so that now some of the choicest gems in existence have found a home in the United States. To what extent this is true may be shown by the custom house statistics, which prove that, even under a tariff of nearly 50 per cent., the annual importation exceeds over five million dollars and New York City with the possible exception of London has become the largest rug market of the world. This importation will continue on even a larger scale until the Orient is robbed of all its fabrics and the Persian rug will have become a thing of the past.
Already the western demand has been so great that the dyes, materials and quality of workmanship have greatly deteriorated and the Orientals are even importing machine made rugs from Europe for their own use. It therefore behooves us to cherish the Oriental rugs now in our possession.
Both Europe and the United States are manufacturing artistic carpets of a high degree of excellence, but they never have and never will be able to produce any that will compare with those made in the East. They may copy the designs and match the shades, to a certain extent, but they lack the inspiration and the knack of blending, both of which are combined in the Oriental product.
Only in a land where time is of little value and is not considered as an equivalent to money, can such artistic perfection be brought about.