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Antique Persian Rug: Shows Off Persian Culture At Its Best
By May Brindle

Persian art and culture can count the antique Persian rug as one of its components and, it is a distinguishable manifestation of Persian culture. The earliest Persian rugs date back to the time of the Bronze Age and, the earliest surviving corpus of antique Persian rugs can be traced back to the 16th century though; there may have been even earlier instances as evidenced by early painted depictions. The antique Persian rugs of the 16th century had a lot of variety and, included common motifs such as scrolling vine networks, palmettes, cloud bands and arabesques and, more.

Made From Wool And Silk

A vast majority of the ancient Persian rugs are made from wool though; some silk examples made in Kashan have also been found. Some of the major centers that produced the antique Persian rug include Tabriz, Kashan, Herat and, also Kerman. Most of the rugs made in Tabriz have a central medallion as well as quartered corner medallions superimposed over a scrolling vine ornament fields, with a few hunters, single animals or animal combat scenes in accompaniment. The best known of these are the twin Ardabil rugs that could have been made for the Ardabil shrine.

Another famous antique Persian rug manufacturing center is Kashan that is famous for silk carpet production. Rugs made in Kashan are the most valuable that are in existence today and, one carpet is believed to have fetched twenty thousand dollars in 1969. On the other hand, Herat rugs or similarly designed ones that were made in Lahore, Pakistan and Agra, India are found in many a Western collection and, their main characteristic is the red field with scrolling vine ornament as well as palmettes of dark green or blue borders.

A majority of the most beautiful as well as decorative rugs found today has been woven in Persia, or Iran as it is now known and, rugs that were made prior to 1930 are classified as antique rugs. Before buying an antique Persian rug, especially if one is not familiar with Oriental rugs, it is necessary to get to know an Oriental rug dealer. One need to know a lot about the antique Persian rug as they are also quite expensive and, for getting them repaired or restored, they should be done properly by experienced rug weavers.

Before buying the antique Persian rug, things like rug pile condition, fringe condition, side wear and overall condition need to be checked. One should make sure that the rug is clean, has been re-fringed instead of having cotton fringes added to it, and both sides should be over-cast. Also, one should ensure that the rug does not contain moth damage, dryness or is split or needs repair. For protection of the antique Persian rug, one may require the services of a professional rug weaver who will be able to use proper restoration methods.

Author Details:
May Brindle writes for various web sites writing articles about here interest in rugs and especially area rugs.

Article Source: Free Article Directory

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