As far as is known, carpets were not actually made in India until the time of the Empire of the Great Moguls in the sixteenth century, although before this they had been imported from Persia, particularly from Kirman, which is not surprising when it is considered that Kirman was the last large Persian city on [...]
November 3, 2008 – 11:55 am
This country, which shares with Peru, Turkestan and Siberia a climate which can preserve textiles almost indefinitely, has never revealed knotted pile fabrics of earlier date than about the fourth century AD. These are not, however, of the right weave to be classified as Oriental rugs, as the knotting is rather coarse and the pile [...]
November 3, 2008 – 11:20 am
It is surprising how many antique Turkish pieces are still about, and in good condition, too. This is fortunate because today production is probably at its lowest ebb for centuries, both in quantity and quality. In its heyday, Turkey must have been a tremendous producer. Although very little is preserved from the early days (and [...]