Rugs and Carpets

Other Countries.--A

few carpets are still in existence that were made in Poland in the 17th century, with floral patterns in light colouring. Loosely woven rugs have been much made by the peasants of Finland. They often have human figures and dates and seem mostly to have formed part of the bridal dow ries. Kilims are made in the Bal kan States and in Southern Russia ; they resemble the Turk ish pieces but have, especially the Russian, more naturalistic floral patterns. Those from Rumania generally include birds in the design.

It is perhaps more important that a carpet for use should be soundly made than beautiful, and certainly better that it should be beautiful than that it should accord with any particular scheme of decoration. Oriental carpets, on account of their depth of tone, rarely go badly with other objects. Accordingly when buying, the first thing to ascertain is that the foundation threads are sound and strong and that the pile is not unduly worn away. If a rug is held up to the light, holes and thin places are often revealed that were quite unnoticed when it lay on the floor. Holes that have been properly repaired are of little consequence. It should be noticed whether it is of good shape and whether it lies flat on the floor. Few rugs have the sides perfectly parallel but an excessive distortion is unsightly. A rug that is not flat tends to wear badly in the baggy places, but certain good rugs, such as the Shiraz, are rarely quite free from this defect. A guarantee should be asked that the rug has not been chemically treated, as is too often done with the object of effecting a supposed improvement in colour. Such treatment usually results in a hopeless deterioration of the yarns. Undesirable, though less destructive, is the process of hot-rolling, which gives to inferior wool a silky gloss that is only transitory.

The Care of Carpets.—Carpets will give remarkably long service if treated with proper consideration. Their two great enemies, apart from the inevitable destructive effect of wear, are moth and damp. The former is best kept at bay by frequent moving or handling and by regular exposure to light and air. If rugs must be stored, then inspection at intervals is essential. A carpet in use is rarely in danger. There seems to be a great future for certain chemical applications that render the wool uneatable by moth, but the method is not yet fully established (1929).

Damp will in time rot the threads and destroy the fabric, but it can be avoided by obvious means. If any mechanical injury is suffered, such as a cut or burn, the damage should be dealt with as soon as possible by a competent repairer, for such lesions get worse very quickly. In ordinary use, quite apart from accident, the ends and sides often tend to wear and fray out, in which case the parts should be re-overcast—a very simple operation if done in time. Places in the middle locally worn or damaged can have new knots inserted and even large holes can be restored so as to be almost as good as new, though such work is rather expensive. In carpets of lesser value, instead of new knotting, patches cut from a suitable rug can often be inserted at less cost, and some times a serviceable small rug can be made from a larger worn one by cutting away the bad parts.

From time to time but not more often than necessary carpets should be cleaned and the improvement in their appearance is often astonishing. If there is any doubt as to the stability of the dyes of the carpet, it should be entrusted to one of the many firms who specialize in this kind of work. In many cases, however, surface washing with a limited supply of hot water and carpet soap applied with a stiff brush may be done at home, though drying the fabric afterwards is often a difficulty, as a clean and airy place must be available for some days at least. In ordinary use carpets are properly kept free from dust by brushing, or by means of a vacuum cleaner, but in all cases where a brush is employed it is most important that it is not used against the lie of the pile. (See also TEXTILES AND EMBROIDERIES ; TAPESTRY ; INTERIOR DECORATION. ) and Tattersall, Hand-Woven Carpets, Oriental and European (1922, bibl.) ; H. Clark, Bokhara, Turkoman and Afghan Rugs (1922) ; Ricard, Corpus des tapis marocains, Illustrated (1923– ) ; Kendrick and Tattersall, Fine Carpets in the Victoria and Albert Museum (1924; 20 coloured plates with descrip tions) ; Sirelius, The Hand-woven rugs of Finland (1925) ; Sarre and Trenkwald, Old Oriental Carpets (1926-29, Austrian Museum of Art and Industry, Illustrations and descriptions of many fine carpets; Tattersall, Notes on Carpet knotting and Weaving (Victoria & Albert Museum, 1927). (C. E. TA.)