Antique Rugs

This weekend we hit the antique shops in search for a new bed. Remember that lovely French bed I posted about? Well, I didn't get it (boo-hoo). My husband thought it was a beautiful bed but a bit on the feminine side. He said he didn't want to lay in a bed with flowers and an engraved basket over his head. Ok, I must admit it was on the feminine side.

We ventured out this weekend and we came across some exquisite pieces. I've been searching for the perfect curio cabinet that will go with our new furniture. I found a gorgeous one. It is made of 100% mahogany and has the most interesting lines. My husband and I snatched it up before anyone else saw it. It was such a great price we could hardly pass it up. This week I'm planning on filling it with all my collectibles and then I'll post it.

Not only did I find myself drooling over my new curio cabinet but antique Persian rugs. Yes, I'm sucker for a fabulous antique Persian rug. I believe this passion for rugs began long ago when I was just a little girl (maybe 8 or 9 yrs. old). My grandmother went to Egypt and Turkey with my great aunt. She was always so adventurous. I could always tell when I package arrived because the entire house smelled of Chanel N5. I remember receiving dolls, jewelry, and candy from around the world. She would always put a little letter inside my package telling me about the places she visited and the history. When she returned home to Dallas I flew out from San Francisco to visit her. She had the most incredible rugs shipped back to her home. I believe that is where my fascination for these delightful creations came about.

I love Persian rugs because they absolutely change the atmosphere in the room. Over the years I've found some interesting information regarding the meaning behind them.

Here's some interesting tidbits of information behind the meaning.

* Carpets that appeared in portraits of Persian merchants stood for their success.

* In foreign legions it was permitted to kiss and pay homage to the "throne" carpets.

* Carpets symbolized the presence of a ruler.

* In religious paintings, carpets were used to make spiritual significance.

Here is a portrait of a successful merchant. See how the Persian rug is symbolized in the painting?

Turkey has a rug making tradition as old as Persia. Turkish rugs are created with more of a geometric pattern. Often the colors used in their rugs are reds and blues. Green is their sacred color and mostly used on prayer rugs. One day I would like to visit Turkey. I could only imagine how exciting it must be to shop at a real Turkish bazaar. Wouldn't that be great fun?

There are four types of Turkish rugs:

1.) Silk on silk
2.) Wool on cotton
3.) Viscose on cotton
4.) Anatolian Kilim- Prayer rug (small and rich in color)



There is basically two types of knots that are used in rug weaving. The "Turkish knot" (double knot) and the "Persian knot" or "Sennah knot" (single knot). The Turkish knot creates a stronger and durable carpet over the Persian knot. The Persian knot is a strand of thread that that winds loosely around the other warp. This creates more of a silk type carpet.

There are 5 basic materials used in creating a Turkish rug: sheep wool, goat hair, cotton, floss silk, and silk. They get the rich colors from plants. Such as the Dye Woad Blue (blue dye), Madder Red (root that produces red dye), Pomegranate tree (brownish yellow dye)...just a few examples.

Here is a picture of a Turkish palace called, Dolmabahce Palace, located in Istanbul. Look at that rug! Could you imagine entertaining in this little dwelling, LOL.