The rug bug
The lowdown on investing in Oriental carpets and rugs
AN ORIENTAL CARPET CAN BE DECORATIVE, FUNCTIONAL – AND PROFITABLE, TOO
Words: Virginia Blackburn
ASK A MAN ON THE STREET what the greatest Middle Eastern contribution to the arts is, and the chances are he’ll answer Islamic painting and architecture. But there is a third area that ranks right up there; one that probably dates back to at least 5000BC and is an integral part of our lives today: the making of carpets and rugs.
Carpet-making is one of the oldest art forms. The most beautiful examples are highly collectable, with prices to match, but the very nature of textiles means that most do not survive. The oldest known example of pile weaving is a 5,000-year-old Persian specimen discovered in 1991 in a tomb in the Alps. Some early fragments of Egyptian linen have also been unearthed, but otherwise most carpets as we know them are much more recent. That does not, however, detract from their appeal or their value.
“Weaving carpets is part of the human tradition,” explains Jacqueline Coulter, head of the carpets department of Sotheby’s auction house in London.
“As soon as people evolve from horseback, into fixed settlements, weaving will first provide coverings for warmth, and then become part of a design repertoire.
Once people have permanent homes and reasonable political stability, they will make things which show their status, so carpets have become part of the courtly tradition. Marco Polo (the 14th-century Venetian explorer) introduced Oriental carpets to the West and they quickly became extremely popular. Cardinal Wolsey ordered carpets from Turkey for Henry VIII.”
Although other areas of the world were later to become highly proficient in the art of carpet-making, the technique most probably originated in central Asia, and that is where the truly great carpets have always been made. The biggest carpet-making civilisation is, of course, Iran (formerly Persia). There’s also (in no particular order) Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China, among others.
The heyday of Oriental carpets, according to Jacqueline Coulter, was during the 15th to 17th centuries, with an absolute peak in the 16th century, due to a combination of good wool and excellent designs, before the world’s focus shifted to France. “When the Ottoman empire was dominant, so were carpets from that region,” says Detlef Maltzahn, of the German-based auction house Rippin Boswell & Co, which deals only in Oriental rugs and carpets. “In the 18th century, French culture became overwhelmingly important, therefore French carpets were more sought after. But Oriental carpets regained dominance in the 19th century. It was a reaction to industrialisation: people began to realise that the old, handmade crafts were wonderful.” They have never really gone out of fashion since then.
However, the war years took a toll and so the current vogue for Oriental carpets began in the 1950s. The market has now separated into two distinct areas: the specialist top end of the market, where the sky’s the limit when it comes to prices, and the less elevated end, which is the growing market. “The three most fashionable styles for people to buy at the moment are Zeiglers, Serapis and Agras,” says Rod Davies of the Oriental carpet specialist Karel Weijand, based in Surrey, England. “The Zeiglers are Persian carpets, but they were designed in Manchester and woven in Persia between 1860 and 1900. They are characterised by very open designs rather than a smaller pattern.
Agras are Indian carpets which were woven in jail by prisoners, and Serapis are also Persian, with geometric shapes, subtle colours and big, bold designs.”
These larger designs, rather than the tightly knit floral carpets that were all the rage 50 years ago, have been especially popular since the onset of minimalist interiors and have been rising in price for the last 15 to 20 years by as much as 150% (this does not apply to all Oriental carpets – some have fallen in price over that time). A 6’x4’ Zeigler rug would start at £8,000 to £10,000, rising, depending on its size and condition, to £150,000. Serapis and Agras fetch similar prices: a 12’x9’ carpet in either style would be £30,000 to £50,000, rising to £100,000 to £150,000 for a 20’ size.
Another area that remains popular is tribal carpets. Again, this is due to their strong design element. “In the 1950s and ‘60s the most important factor was the number of knots per square inch,” says Rod Davies. “Now it’s what colours they possess.” Some of the older designs are also being copied for new carpets, although Davies points out that these are still good carpets which took two or three years to make.
For anyone who wishes to buck the trend and spend less money in the process, Davies points to three styles that are currently out of fashion and thus offering good value: Isfahan, Kashan and Tabriz, all Persian designs. They have fallen in price over the last 15 years and start at about £1,500 to £5,000. “They are amazing quality, but with strong colours and designs,” he says.
And all, of course, are both decorative and functional, an aspect of this branch of collecting that is almost unique. After all, you can’t put a painting on the floor to keep warm.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING A CARPET:
■ Charlotte Gaskell, who has been selling Oriental carpets for the last seven years, suggests the following: “Feel the rugs. Poor quality ones will be drier – good wool has an almost oily texture because of the lanolin it contains. Make sure that the dye hasn’t run: look at ivory areas to make sure nothing has run onto them. Dyes can be synthetic or natural: the latter are made from plants and have much stronger colours and hues, but a lesser range of colours than synthetic dyes.”
■ Rod Davies also warns that China is beginning to flood the market with cheap imitation carpets. In many cases, only experts will be able to tell what is real or recent Chinese, and so the best advice is to find a trustworthy dealer. Carpets should be made from top to bottom, with a line of people working on them. Some of these imitations are made from side to side, with fake fringes put on afterwards. If in doubt – don’t buy.
WHERE TO BUY ORIENTAL CARPETS:
Oriental carpets are available not only in their country of origin but all over the Middle East in specialist markets (souks). For example, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, one of the best places to find carpets is the Kuwaiti souk. In Jeddah, the Eastern Carpet House (+966 2 899 3156) sells beautiful handmade carpets.
■ German auction house Rippon Boswell holds four auctions a year in March, May, September and November: +49
(0)611 33 4430; www.rippon-boswell-wiesbaden.de
■ In Surrey, Karel Weijand has a huge stock of carpets: +44 (0)1252 726 215; www.karelweijand.com
■ In London, contact Charlotte Gaskell: +44 (0)20 8672 3224; www.charlottegaskell.com
■ Sotheby’s holds auctions all over the world throughout the year: www.sothebys.com
■ Another useful internet resource is www.persiancarpetguide.com
