Rugs and Carpets

Texture.

The technical feature which above all others indi cates the amount of time and trouble spent by the weaver and therefore serves as the first criterion of technical merit, is the fineness of texture. This depends upon the closeness of the warp threads and the size of the yarns used for weft and pile, and is measured by the number of knots in a specified area. Some idea of the wide variation possible in this respect is given by the fact that carpets are found with as few as i 5 and as many as i,000 knots to the square inch. Textures with from 4o to 8o may be considered of medium fineness.

Other technical points, not necessarily in themselves signs of merit, have to be taken into account in problems of classification and identification. The chief of these are:—the species of knot ; the material (wool, cotton, silk, etc.) and nature of the yarns constituting warp, weft and pile; the colour of the warp, and whether it is arranged on one or two levels ; the colour of the weft, and the number of times it passes after each row of knots ; the length of the pile ; the way in which the sides and ends are finished. These points, duly observed, will throw as much light upon the carpet as do the design and colour.

Design.

In order to give a pleasing effect at distances from which the detail cannot be clearly seen, there is generally a definite scheme of composition upon which the masses of the pattern are based. In the first place there is almost invariably, running along every edge, a bor der, which may be divided into two or more parallel bands. Within the border is the field, either of fairly level tone (still neglecting the lesser detail) or containing various arrangements of shaped panels differing in tone from the rest. There is no definite limit to the number of such arrangements but a few are so common as to deserve mention.

Very often there is a prominent central panel or medallion, which is sometimes associated with four quarter-panels, one in each corner of the field : or there may be a number of panels, perhaps of two different shapes, arranged on a symmetrical plan. Again, a succession of similar panels is often found set on the long axis of the carpet : or the whole field may be divided up into well marked rectangular or lozenge-shaped compartments. Lastly may be mentioned the arched form cut off from the ends of the field, or from one end only as in most prayer-rugs.

Motives with symbolic meaning are undoubtedly often seen in carpet design, but it is very questionable (in spite of much that is alleged) whether in most cases the designer or weaver has adopted them with full con sciousness of their significance.

In this connection it must be re membered that the vast majority of oriental carpets have been copied with only slight modi fications from others previously made.

Little need be said about the ornament in detail. Flowers such as the rose, jasmin, hya cinth, or trees as the cypress or willow can often be identified but many of the floral forms are too indefinite for recognition. The inflorescence of the date palm —such an important object to the oriental—is rendered in many characteristic ways to which the term palmette is frequently ap plied. The well-known comma-shaped device common in the later Persian carpets may also be derived from the date-palm. It is most often called the cone-device, but many other names and origins are ascribed to it. The cloud-band, borrowed from Chinese art, is a ribbon or snake-like conventionalization of a cloud. Perhaps it is the origin of the S-form found in many of the more geometrical carpets. Latch-hooks are the angular ap pendages set round the edge of a panel to soften a too rigid contour. Apart from isolated motives there are several well known all-over patterns, of which the herati and the mina khani are the most common (see figs. 7 and 8). With regard to border patterns it will soon be noticed that there are many almost stand ardized types, some of which are peculiar to particular groups of rugs. The basic idea is mostly either that of a wavy stem bearing flowers and leaves or else a succession of similar devices, floral or geometrical, set in a row.

Colouring.

A comparatively small number of dyestuffs, well proved by experience, are used. The tones are usually darker than appears at first sight to the eye, as may be readily proved by matching them, especially the lighter ones, against tinted paper.

This association of great richness of colour with great depth of tone is undoubtedly due in great part to the effect of the pile surface, and in consequence it is not possible to get on paper a reproduction of a carpet that will give more than an indication of the beauty of the original.