(l)ecoratii/ecAtt STEALING AND FRANCINE C1AR1C ART INSTITUTE LIBRART THE RUG DICTIONARY By C. R. Clifford SECOND EDITION, 1920 PUBLISHED BY CLIFFORD & LAWTON, Inc. NFW YORK The Rug Dictionary « / By C; R. Clifford Second Edition 1926 A). Published by Clifford & Lawton, Inc., New York Copyright, 1926 A THE ORIENTAL RUG DICTIONARY Nomenclature THERE ought to be a censorship for rug literature to avoid the publication of retail circulars and catalogues that are erroneous and misleading. I do not criticize spelling, not even the variations which give us Ghengis, Ganjas, Guendjas, Guenjes, Gengis, Gen- jehs, Ganjis, Genjis or Guendjis. A merchant announcing the fact that he is a high authority, describes the "Serahband" as a rug of east central Persia, whereas it is from the Saraband district, western Persia. He refers to Beshir (Beshire) as made on the Persian Gulf, whereas they are made in southern Turkestan, not being derived from the town of Bushire, but from Bech Schehr (the five villages west of Khiva on the Amour Daria River). A short while ago another retailer advertised Do- zahr rugs ; the term applies to a measurement or size, not to a geographic or technical type. 3 We are unable to discover by what authority any- thing is called a Kiskilim. These napless carpets or tapestries are known in Persia as Gilim, and in Turkey as Kilim, but why Kiskilim ? The term Odjalik is not a divan cover. It is a hearth rug. Sedjadeh and the Namazlik are practically one and the same. They are prayer rugs, not necessarily little prayer rugs. They may be rugs of very large size. Lule does not mean a pearl or a jewel. It means a pipe or tube, and is applied to Bijars because they have to be rolled, being too heavy to fold. Kazak is not a corruption of Cossack. It is just the opposite, Cossack is a corruption of Kazak. It is a mistake to assume that a Hamadan is neces- sarily characterized by camel colored borders or grounds. This is only one style of the general type known as Hamadans, made in Mehraban; the diaper pattern is often from Bargezin. Many villages make the Hamadan and comparatively few have the camel color. The terms Hamadie and Hamidier are mis- nomers. They have no relation to a rug. Hamadi means a thing from Hamadan, and in the same way a Ganji or Genji means a thing from Ganja. While the rug is supposed to come down from the Genghis people, it is more reasonable to suppose that it comes from in or around Guendje of ancient Elizabet- pol; at all events the rugs are frequently billed as "Guendjes," and come direct from Elizabetpol. Khatchli or Katchli Bokhara is not a type. A Katchli or Hachli means to the Turk a cross, or having a cross, and relates simply to the style of design fre- quently found in a Bokhara. Khiva-Bokhara is a misnomer. It means nothing. Khiva is one thing, Bokhara is another. The term Tekke as applied to a Bokhara means broadly nomadic) or a tribal Bokhara. Beluche relates to the rugs that most of us call Beluchistan. They are made by nomadic people, many of them in the eastern part of the province of Khorassan. The chief markets are at Birjand or in the mountain countries west of northern Afghanistan, a long way from Beluchistan. We assume responsibility for the accuracy of our definitions and the rules we present, but beg the in- dulgence of the student and trade for the spelling. If we should attempt to follow the native spelling, the trade would hardly recognize the terms that are now in use. If we were to assume that a Tekke was a Tekkeh, if we altered Genghis to Ganji, or Lule to Luleh, we would confuse matters. Therefore we have used the vocabulary as it is accepted by rug dealers, if not by students. The Fundamentals IN PREPARING an abridged edition of "Rugs of the Orient, " the author has planned to condense for pocket reference the fundamentals of rug lore, divided as follows : A — The technique of rugs, the knot, pile, ends, selvage and quality. 6 B — Territorial divisions, Caucasian, Turkish, Turkoman, Persian, indian, Chinese and Japanese. C — Definitions of rug terms arranged alphabeti- cally. D — Modern or trade products. Types and varieties are characterized by either the Knot, the Pile, Selvage, Ends, Size, Design or Quality, Persian. 7 bearing always in mind that these rules apply to types, and not to the commercial rugs which are now so much produced. Nos. 1 and 3 illustrate the tie of the Senna knot. The tufts are separated by the warp threads. Nos. 2 and 4 represent the tie of the Ghiordes or Turkish knot. Both tufts come up, intersecting a pair of alternate threads. No. 5 illustrates the construction of a Bijar (Kurdistan) rug. One warp thread runs almost through the center of the fabric, strengthening the fabric. No. 6 is overcast. No. 7 is selvaged. The Knots. One must first understand the two different kinds of knots and the two different kinds of selvages. As a rule, Persian and Mosul rugs have overcast sides and Turkish, Turkoman, Turkestan and in most cases the Caucasian pieces have selvaged sides. Care should be taken, however, in determining character- istics by the side finish, that you be not deceived by an applied edge, sewed upon the rug as simply a re- pair job, where the original edge is frayed or ragged. In the texture of the sides of a rug there are also 8 distinguishing marks. We see goat hair conspicuous in the heavy selvage of Yuruks and Beluchistans ; parti-colored yarns in the sides of the Shiraz; fine silken cord is used on the Saruks; parti-colored sel- vage is used on the Yomuds and Genghis. With the following rugs no rule applies: Caucasian. Modern Kulah Shirvan Demirdji modern Kabistan Ghiordes modern Leshgian Konieh modern Turkish. Akhissar Oushak Persian. Kaba-Karaman Karadagh The only rugs that are tied with the Senna knot are : Feraghan Khiva Kirman Afghanistan Khorassan Beluchistan Ispahan Yomud Senna Beshire Bokhara Samarkand Saraband Old Chinese All other rugs are tied with the Turkish or Ghiordes knot. ^ ^ Ihe File The pile of a rug is, of course, wool, but the web, consisting of warp and filling, upon which the knots are tied, is a guide often to the character of a rug. Persian rugs as a rule have cotton warp and weft. Most of the Turkish, Kurdistan and Turkomans have wool warp and weft. Caucasian rugs follow no rule ; some being of wool warp and cotton filling. The Samarkands may have wool or cotton; so also the Chinese. 9 Web Ends. Rugs showing at the ends a weh instead of mere fringe, the web being sometimes plain and sometimes embroidered : Bergamo Yomud i \ f ghan Bokhara Makri Shiraz Beshire Niris Beluchistan Ladik Some Mosuls and Kurdistans Quality. Where a rug is exceedingly fine it may be any of the following : Ispahan Saruk Ladik Tabriz Ghiordes Kirmanshah Kashan Daghestan Senna Bokhara Kabistan Chichi Antique Kulah Lavere Kir man These are all, naturally, short pile rugs. Turkoman. 10 Ill determining- the character of a rug one is assisted not only by its size and its height of pile but by its design. Size means a great deal. Certain rugs are made always small, never large. Certain rugs are made always thick, never closely woven. The following are always carpet size : Oushak (Yaprak, Kirman), Afghan, Demirdji (Enile, Gulistan), Herez (Bakhshis, Gorevan, Se- rapi), Sultanabad (Savalans, Muskabad, Mahal), Akhissar, Cassaba, Caesarian. There are also many rugs made in all sizes, includ- ing carpet size : Beshire, Khorassan, Samarkand, Chi- nese, Meshed, Kirmanshah, Tabriz, Kashan, Saruk, modern Kulah and Bijars. Bearing in mind size and quality, and understand- ing to some degree the design characteristics, it should not be difficult to determine the group character of an Oriental rug. There are six generic types of rugs : Turkish, Caucasian, Persian, Indian, Chinese and Turkoman, and they all come under two design classi- fications : (1) Designs that are disjointed and discon- nected and (2) designs that are of a homogeneous entirety. The former group covers the nomadic weaves of Turkey, the Caucasus and the Turkoman countries — Turkestan, Kurdistan, Afghanistan and Beluchistan, while the latter group includes the artistic creations of India, Persia and western Turkey. Indian design is full of detail. The artists are masters. Their patterns are completed compositions. 11 Persia took its inspiration from the oldest of the arts of Egypt and Assyria, but in its rug productions it has been influenced by India and China. There are marked details of resemblance between the Turkish, Caucasian and the Turkoman, because all are of Turkish origin. Geometrical design is common to the three dis- tricts. Little that is floral is shown in these rugs and when shown it is conventionalized. A study of the details, here illustrated, will help one. Geographic Types. Caucasian rugs come from the Russian country between the Black Sea and the Caspian occupied by remnants of innumerable Asiatic nations; commercial- ism has not entered the Caucasus and the rugs are still of a pure type character. With the exception of the Karadaghs and the Karabaghs, the designs are geomet- rical and of detached character. The following are all Caucasians : (See definitions for specific description.) Daghestan Kabistan Derbend Karabagh Chichi Karadagh Circassian Kazak (Tcherkess) Leshgian Genghis Shirvan Georgian. Soumak Chinese. The Chinese and Samarkand rugs are of Mongol inspiration, usually loosely woven. 12 Caucasian. Turkestan-Turkoman. The Turkoman rugs cover the rugs of the Turkoman people. These people are principally located in Turkestan and to some de- gree south through Afghanistan. The Turkoman tribes were originally of the same origin as the Turks, coming from China. In trade parlance, the Turkoman rugs in- clude the Bokharas, Yomuds, Khivas and Beshires, Af- ghans and Afghanistans and by special license the Beluchistans, many of which, however, are not from the Beluchistan but from Khorassan. 13 Turkish. Turkish. The section sometimes called Asia- Minor or the Anatolian Peninsula, including part of the Kurdistan district, is Turkish. As a rule, Turkish rugs are all wool, with the exception of the purely commercial modern examples, which have cotton warp. We show the examples in tabulated form. Many of the old names like Kulah, Ghiordes and Konieh have little significance to-day because they are all made in commercial qualities and 14 have none of the characteristics of the antiques. The Turkish designs, like the Caucasians, are usually of detached figures, but there is a greater tendency toward floriations. TYPE EXAMPLES. Bergamo, all wool. Kaba-Karaman, all wool. Ghiordes, wool and cotton. Konieh, all wool. Kulah, antique, all wool. Kurdistan, all wool. Ladik, all wool. Makri, all wool. Meles or Carian, wool and cotton. Yuruk, all wool. (The asterisk stands for carpet sizes.) MODERN PRODUCT. *Akhissar, all wool. *Caesarean, all wool. *Cassaba (Sparta), cotton warp and weft. *Demirdji, usually wool warp and filling. *Enile, a grade. *Ghiordes, modern, wool warp, cotton filling. Herekeui, wool, often cotton filling. Harput, all wool ; institution work. Kir Shehr, all wool. * Konieh, wool and cotton. *Kulah, cotton and wool. *Oushak (Yaprak and Kir- man), all wool. *Sivas, cotton warp and fill- ing. Kurdish. Yuruk. Kurdistan. Kurdistan is a district having no definite geographical boundary, but generally regarded as "the country of the Kurds," part in Turkey and part in Persia, 50,000 square miles. The rugs are: Yuruk Mosul Bijar Djushagan Souj Bulak Koultuk The Yuruk and Kurdish belong to one type and have overcast sides. Nearly all Kurdistan rugs are all wool. Frequently Kurdistans show in the web ends, several threads of colored yarn, a distinguishing characteristic. District. Province. Rug Terms. Smyrna < Demirdji Ghiordes. Bandhor, a grade Kulah Meles, or Carian Makri Akhissar *_ Bergamo Liiatolia Broussa < Cassaba or Sparta Oushak ^ Ladik Angora ' Caesarean Kir Shehr f Konieh Konieh j Kaba Karaman Sivas Sivas astern Turkey -< Mamouret ul Aziz Harput Mosul Kurdistan ■< Djafs Yuruk ^Kurdish Thibet. From Thibet come a number of quaint examples, but they lack quality and durability ; all small sizes, loosely woven. Japanese. Japanese rugs are purely commercial and utilitarian. Indian. The ancient rugs of India have disap- peared. The arts have been perpetuated, however, in 16 modern rugs, made in the Amritsar district of Lahore, of high technical and design quality. Wool is not plentiful in India and with the exception of pushmina, stock as a rule is poor. In the early Seventeeth Century unquestionably some exquisite rugs were made in India, but few examples have lived through the ages. The carpets that are most treasured in the Lahore Museum are the carpets picked up at Peshawar and labeled Herat. While Herat is literally in India, it is usually classified as Persian. Khorassan and Herati. Persian. We append here a list of Persian rugs, according to province. In almost all cases, these rugs have a cotton warp. The designs are elaborate and floriated as distinguished from geometrical and de- tached designs of other types. 17 Province. Azerbijan HEREZ Bakshish, Gorevan, Serapi KARADAGH SOUJ-BOULAK (See Kurdistan) TABRIZ Irak Ajemi SULTANABAD Muskabad, Mahal, Sava- lan, Buluk. KOULTUK (See Kurdistan) HAMADAN Borchalu, Oustrinan, Er- zanfud, Injelas, Egherdir, Karaguez, Daghdaghabad, "Hamadan Mosuls." KASHAN SARUK *ISPAHAN (antique) DJUSHAGAN *FERAGHAN SARABAND Ardelan BIJAR *SENNA Khorassan *KHORASSAN MESHED Ay in (poor grade) Faristan SHIRAZ Laristan NIRIS Height of Pile. Htoy 2 Ya^Vs V* to Va Size. Carpet Size Runners Small and Medium All and Carpet Sizes Ya to Yz Carpet Size Small and Medium "Hamadans" 3x5 Ya to Vs Ya to Vs Vs to Ya Vs Vs Ya to Vs All Sizes Ys to Ys All Sizes Ya All Sizes Small Sizes All and Carpet Sizes All Sizes J4to.V All Sizes All Sizes Ya to Vs All and Carpet Sizes yto^i All and Carpet Sizes Ystoy All and Carpet Sizes YstoH 3x5, 4x6, etc. Ya to y s V* All Sizes KlRMAN *KIRMAN (antique) KIRMANSHAH [Those tied in the Senna knot are indicated by asterisk.] [Herat rugs while made in Afghanistan near the border are classified as Persian.] 18 Definitions. AFGHAN. Large carpets of coarse Bokhara-like design. Made in lower Turkestan and northern Afghanistan, in dull reds, browns, blacks, a little yellow and blue ; wool pile three-eighths to five- eighths of an inch high ; goat hair and wool warp Early XIX Century Kazak. 20 and goat hair and wool filling; finish of sides, heavy selvage; finish of ends, shaggy with wide web; tied usually in the Senna knot; number of knots to the square inch thirty-six to eighty. Geo- metric designs, squares and octagons. AFGHANISTAN. Country south of Turkestan. AGRA. Town, noted for its jail carpets, India. AHMEDABAD. At one time important seat of India rug making. AKHISSAR. Turkish town where modern carpet- size rugs are made. Wool pile ^ inch; warp, wool ; filling, coarse wool ; finish of sides, no rule ; finish of ends, narrow web, loose warp; number of knots to the square inch, thirty-six to eighty; Ghiordes knot; made usually in carpet sizes. ALLAHABAD. India carpets come from Allahabad. ALPUJARRA. Spanish rug made with continuous looped pile, not separate knots. AMRITSAR. Seat of India carpet making. ANATOLIA. Peninsula embracing Turkey. ANATOLIAN. Term for soft, unclassified Turkish rugs ; usually applied to small sizes. ARDEBIL. Name of a famous rug originally used in the Mosque at Ardebil now in the South Kensing- ton Museum. ASIA MINOR. Geographic term. AYIN. Low grade Herat, a thin, sleazy sort of rug. AZERBIJAN. Province of Persia. BAKHSHIS. Grade name for Herez (Persian) rug, which see. BAKTIARI. Persian. BAKU. A Caucasian port of shipment. BANDHOR. Trade term applied to modern Ghiordes. 21 BELUCHISTAN. The country south of Afghanis- tan ; wool pile, three-eighths to one-half inch high ; warp, wool ; filling, wool ; finish of sides, selvage edged or overcast ; often of goat hair ; finish of ends, wide web; 30 to 120 knots to the square inch ; Senna knot ; made in all sizes but principally in small sizes. Heavy in color, generally of brown tone, accentuated by a little red, blue or orange. The weavers utilize much of the natural wool and get a high luster and softness by admixture of goat hair. The designs are geometric, with a few Persian motifs, being influenced by the contiguity of Persia on the west and Afghanistan on the north. Many nomadic Beluchis pitch their tents in South Khorassan, Persia, where they make many modern Beluchistans, the chief markets being Birjand and Turbat-i-Haidari, south of Meshed. This class of rug is more properly called Beluche, not being made in Beluchistan. BERGAMO. Turkish, wool pile, three-eighths to five-eighths inch high ; warp, wool ; usually dyed reddish; filling, wool; finish of sides, wide selvage; finish of ends, wide, red warp, sometimes em- broidered; number of knots to the square inch, 60 to 100; average size, 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 feet. Ber- gamos are pure types of rugs, usually to be dis- tinguished by bold patterns ; the rug is wide in proportion to length ; the colors are strong, and the designs held together with greater unity than most Turkish pieces. 22 BESHIRE. Turkestan, a rug of the Khiva or Afghan type, made in the western part of Turkestan, the designs being similar to the Bokhara and Khiva. It is a distinctive type, however, and comes from Bech Shehr (Five Villages), west of Khiva, on the shores of the Amour Daria river. They are a little coarser than Khiva and frequently come in large sizes. Side finish and general technique are like the Khiva ; a distinguishing main characteristic is the use of a great deal of yellow. BIBIKABAD. Village contributing "Hamadans" to the trade. BIJAR. Heavy board-like Kurdistan grade of carpet from Bijar sometimes called Saraks because made by people from Sarak in eastern Persia. The term Lule is applied to Bijars because the Bijar cannot be folded, it must be rolled. Lule means a tube or a roll, luleh. BIRJAPORE. At one time important seat of India rug weaving. BOKHARA. Turkestan, height of pile, one-eighth to one- fourth inch ; warp, wool ; filling, wool ; finish of sides, overcast; finish of ends, red or striped wide web; number of knots to the square inch, 56 to 400. Tied in the Senna knot. All sizes, but usually small. Among the foothills of the Turkes- tan mountains, the Tekke Turkoman, now under Russian rule, makes the rugs known as Bokhara or Tekke Turkoman. The term Bokhara describes distinctly a closely woven, fine quality rug, in some cases having four hundred knots to the square inch. The colors run to mahogany, maroon, wine, 23 reddish brown and white. The designs are de- tached, geometrical figures. What is usually called a "blue Bokhara" is in reality Beluche. Frequently we find silk worked into a Bokhara. BORCHALU. A town where many Hamadans are made. BROUSSA. Province contributing much to the trade in "Smyrnas"« (Turkish). BULUK. Trade term for a grade of Sultanabad. BUROJIRD. Village where many rugs and runners are made for Hamadan trade. CAESx\REAN. Many rugs are made near the an- cient city of Csesarea, but are sold usually as "Anatolians.'' Large carpet sizes of the Oushak type are also made there. In some instances the pile is very long, the material is frequently poor and the pile is likely to pack or felt, but they have more wool to the square inch than most rugs. Height of pile, three-eighths to an inch, puffy and soft; warp, usually colored wool; filling, wool; finish of sides, selvage, often goat hair; finish of ends, narrow brown web with a short fringe; number of knots to the square inch 42 to 60. Made in all sizes. CAMEL'S HAIR. Camel's hair seldom used in rugs. Camel colored Hamadans come from the district of Mehraban. So-called camel's hair is generally filik, goat hair. CAMEL HAIR. Also a trading term for a modern Turkish rug. CARIAN. (See Meles.) CASSABA. Modern carpet size rug, wool pile with warp and weft usually cotton; commercial rug of organized manufacture ; no distinguishing design ; usually well woven and serviceable. Sparta is a grade name. CASTILIAN. In Thirteenth Century Eleanor of Castile brought first Oriental carpets into England. CAUCASIAN. Relating to Caucasus, lying between the Black and Caspian Seas, southern Russia. In the Thirteenth Century the country was conquered 25 by Mongols. Innumerable tribes are located here and it is calculated that seventy different tongues are spoken. Tiflis is the end of the military road, and through Tiflis come all the rugs of the tribal districts, the Leshgian tribes, Suanetians, Georgi- ans, Ossets, Abkazianes, Daghestanis, Circassians, Mingrelians, Kabardans, Ismeritians, Tchetchens, Kazaks and the people of the southern country bordering upon Persia. The Caucasian rugs in- clude Daghestan, Derbend, Chichi, Circassian, Kabistan, Karabagh, Shirvan, Lesghian, Soumak, and Genghis. CHICHI. Chichi is the name given to rugs which come from the mountains north of Daghestan, and are made by the Tchetchen tribes. They are non- descript examples, well made, with a surprising- appearance of rosettes, scrolls and geometrical tree patterns and cones. Sometimes the floral is conspicuous. Sometimes four borders are used including the characteristic trefoil so much seen in the Caucasian. Height of pile, one-eighth to three-eighths of an inch; warp, usually white wool; filling, brown; sides, selvaged. Fifty-six to ninety knots to the square inch, tied with the Ghiordes knot, and the average size is 4 x 6 feet. The Chichi is the' one example of the Caucasian weave that is not characteristic of the general geometric type. CHINESE. Chinese rugs include Samarkands and the Kashgar, Yarkand and Khotan rugs, this dis- trict of Turkestan being at various times under 26 Chinese and Mongol domination. The style and colorings are easily distinguished, and the tie of the Senna knot gives to the hack an appearance peculiarly its own. Old Chinese pieces were woven with the Senna knot especially in the Samarkands. The warp and filling yarns were brown or yellowish wool, while to-day the modern pieces have warp of white cotton. Rugs are made Circassian Type. 27 in many parts of China ; most of them are to-day commercial products, but well-woven and very good. CIRCASSIAN (Tcherkess). A lost tribe of the Cau- casians now scattered throughout Asia and Europe. CONE PATTERN. Cone, pear, palm, river loop are all svnonvmous of same motif. CORDOVA. Saracens established rug weaving in Eleventh Century. DAGHDAGHABAD. A trading term for a modern grade of Hamadan. DAGHESTAN. Height of pile one-eighth to one- quarter inch ; warp usually gray wool ; filling, wool; finish of sides, selvage; finish of ends, nar- Circassian, 29 row web, sometimes fringed; number of knots to the square inch, from 64 to 120, Ghiordes knot, average size small. Daghestan was the term applied to the rugs that came over here from the Daghestan Province of Caucasus. These included the Derbend, Kabistan and Shirvan rugs, which usually show the characteristic trefoil and latch- hook details. *g£ *■■■ i=8S§»aB*: « : ^ ^ ^ ;*- < T" #2* 30^ ^>%i xM-KsemS^ wm 'r&mj&m Chinese. 30 DELHI. Old seat of India carpet making. DEMIRDJI. Turkish. There are two grades of De- mirdji — Enile and Gulistan. Height of pile runs from three-eighths to five-eighths of an inch; warp and filling, wool; no rule of sides or finish; number of knots to the square inch, from 26 to 64. Demirdjis are made in carpet sizes. DERBEND. Caucasian ; height of pile, one-quarter to three-eighths of an inch; warp, brown wool or goat hair; filling, wool; finish of sides, overcast; finish of ends, long wool fringe with reddish web ; number of knots to the square inch, 42 to 90; size average 4x6 feet; general characteristics the same as Daghestan ; larger sizes up to 6 x 10 feet ; star shapes are conspicuous ; the ends are fre- quently finished with reddish web and a long wool fringe. DJAF. Term applied to unclassifiable rugs. Kurdistan. DJELIHER. See Senna. Caucasian, Daghestan 31 DJUSHAGAN. Kurdistan, quality of fine character; (Jooshagan) Persian Kurdistan; height of wool pile, one-quarter to three-eighths of an inch ; warp, wool ; filling, wool ; finish of sides, overcast ; finish of ends, narrow web, loose warp ends ; number of knots to the square inch 64 to 120; Ghiordes knot; sizes usually in runners. They are rich in color, closely woven, and while graded as Kurdistans, they take on the finer beauties of South Persia, rich in color with frequently Arabic traceries pass- ing from one figure to another. DOZAHR. A certain size of a rug — not a rug term. ELLORE. One time important seat of India carpet making. ENILE. A grade of Turkish rug. (See Demirdji.) FARISTAN. Persian province. Feraghan, design showing the Herati detail, sometimes called the fish detail. 32 FERAGHAN. Persian; height of pile, one-eighth to three-eighths of an inch ; warp and filling, cotton ; finish of sides, overcast; finish of ends, narrow web, loose warp ends; made in all sizes and run- ners, Antique Feraghans are tied with the Senna knot, moderns with the Turkish knot. The country producing the Feraghan rugs occupies nearly half of the western section of the province of Irak Ajemi. Feraghans are usually characterized by either the Herati or fish design, or by the Gulla Hinai design. Old examples were very fine, but of late years, some very coarse pieces have been put on the market with nothing to characterize them but design. Hence many rugs are called Feraghans, the same as Sarabands, which have nothing of the original deftness of weave or delicacy of texture, but simply the design char- Sifti .5* .^a '-S- vS-t* if* J| *V JgI*S. " tjE\ ^ It A - M * rT^-^K^ t+mr'j^K. ^y a^v^y 1 %^* t v ^ < 5p5 ,.„ # %1 jr wfiySK PS1?tJ0 ^4W TspWBT. ^ ul t*' --ill #v*. Gulla Hinai — frequently in old Feraghan and Sultana- bad weaves. 33 acteristic to identify them. Old Feraghans some- times run to 150 knots to the square inch. GEHROUS. Kurdistan district producing many Ha- madan rugs. GENGHIS. Originating near Ganja or Guendje, old Elizabetpol ; shipments from Elizabetpol some years ago were frequently billed Guendjes. Height of pile three-eighths to one-half inch ; warp, dark wool or goat hair; filling, dyed wool with extra filling threads, sometimes red ; finish of sides, no rule ; come in various qualities, some very fine and in usually runner sizes. While the rugs show often the trefoil characteristic of the Caucasian, they also show the florals of Persia and the detached geometries of Turkey. GEORGIAN. Relating to all that district now known as Trans-Caucasia. GHIORDES. An antique high quality fabric, also name of modern commercial carpets. In the an- tique, the height of the pile averages about three - eighths of an inch ; wool warp and usually cotton filling ; no rule of finish of ends ; sizes usually 3x6 or 4 x 6 feet. The antique Ghiordes are exquisitely colored, showing frequently designs that are archi- tectural in shape, with pillars on either side and panel treatments across the head of the rug. At times the sides support a prayer niche in modifica- tion of the tree of life. Designs are usually floral, but not Persian-like, connected and progressive, but disjoined. The Ghiordes cannot be mistaken for any other antique, excepting possibly the Kulah, which is about the same height of pile, but 34 the Kulah shows more and narrower borders. With the exception of the Ispahan and Ladik, the Ghiordes is perhaps the finest and most closely i%mm*:'""~" &*38&&®SMfc It > !S^"^^?^#5^s«?* rv '^ iHj iv. ' .. ^H|| jfiiflrtflBBrf ZjSEiEl! 8 * 8 ^^!!!^!!!!! ii«intn'i l Ti ii^ ^Jt ,; ^'*** ^* (! »i? i. Mosul (Djaf). 60 in the Senna knot, known also as the Persian knot. Large and small sizes. One of the shortest and closest-pile rugs made, frequently so tightly woven that the back is puckery — the back, moreover, shows no ridges or filling stripes. The designs are characteristic — little figures, frequently stripes, formal, minute, often Mosaic. Imitation Sennas are made at Tabriz, known as the Kurdistan Sennas, but these are not tied with the Senna knot. See Djeliher and Zelie Sultan designs. SERAPI. A grade of Herez rug made in northwest- ern Persia. SHAH ABBAS. A trade term for a modern Turkish rug, also name associated with a certain design. SHAHISTAN. A trade term for a fine grade of rug made to order in Persia and also Bulgaria. SHEMAKHA. City at one time the capital of Khan- ate of Shirvan, now a market-place for Caucasian rugs, called Soumaks or Cashmeres. SHIRAZ. Rug of southwestern Persia. Height of pile one-eighth to three-eighths inch ; wool, goat- hair warp with wool filling; finish of sides, over- cast and parti-colored, a distinguishing character- istic ; ends, usually finished in a wide, reddish web with embroidery stitches worked in ; made usually in the smaller sizes and 42 to 130 knots to the square inch. The Shiraz is also easily recognized by its design characteristic ; it's a soft rug and the designs suggest something of the Kabistan, having frequently Caucasian details and little figures. 61 Djeliher, a style term for a Senna. 62 Tabriz. 63 SHIRVAN. Caucasian in Daghestan Province. One- eighth to one-quarter inch pile. Shirvan is a term which of late years is applied to modern Daghes- tans. The warp is brown or mottled wool, al- though in antiques frequently white; the filling is wool or cotton; has long, knotted fringe and made in small sizes. The same type that years ago was called Daghestan — to-day the term Daghestan is arbitrarily used for the finer grades. SICILIAN. The Saracens established rug weaving in Sicily in the Twelfth Century. SILK RUGS. Rugs made of silk, not necessarily good rugs. A great many are made in Anatolia and Persia, following the style of designs of the neigh- borhood. Necessarily they are more expensive because made of smaller tufts requiring a longer time to weave the fabric. Most of the silk rugs are modern. SMYRNA. The district in western Turkey from which the early Turkish rugs were shipped. The name has been little used since the manufacture of domestic rugs in this country under the same name. SOUJ-BOULAK. Kurdistan, western Persia. Height of pile, three-eighths to one-half inch; wool warp and wool filling; finish of sides, overcast; one end is sometimes web, sometimes loose; number of knots to the square inch, 56 to 88. Rug easily identified; unlike many of the long-pile rugs, the pile does not lay flat, but is so closely woven that it stands upright. The yarn is fine, and although the texture is distinctly Kurdistan and seldom em- 64 ploys cotton warp, the designs show Persian in- fluence. SOUMAK. See Shemakha. The Soumak is a flat weave, more like a tapestry, and is not woven rug fashion. SPARTA. Trade name for a modern Cassaba. SULTANABAD. Factory district in Persia where several grades of large carpets are made, includ- ing Muskabad, Savalan and Mahal. Pile one- quarter to one-half inch; cotton warp and cotton filling; overcast sides; narrow web; there are comparatively few knots to the square inch, 30 to 64 ; same general character as the Herez rugs ; made usually in carpet sizes. SULTANIEH. Trade name for modern Ghiordes. TABRIZ. Town in northwestern Persia. One-eighth Anatolian Prayer Rug, 65 to one-quarter inch pile; cotton, linen or silk warp ; cotton, linen or wool filling ; usually selvage sides; narrow web ends; from 100 to 300 Ghiordes knots to the square inch; principally carpet sizes. The Tabriz is the same fine grade rug as the Kir- manshah or Saruk, but harder, firmer ; sometimes the white web end shows a strand of yarn, like you find in Kurdistans or Sennas. TAMANINI. Trade term for modern grade of Hamadan. TCHECHEN. A Caucasian district. TCHERKESS. (See Circassian.) TEHERAN. Ancient city in Persia. TEKKE. Name given to some Bokharas, because made by the Tekke Turkoman tribes. TEREH. Turkish word for design. THIBET. Rugs of Thibet have recently been im- ported ; they are unique, coarse, poorly colored and poorly made, loosely knotted, averaging about 30 knots to the square inch. TOKMAK. Trade name for Turkish carpet. TURKESTAN. Southern part of Russia. TURKISH KNOT. Where the two strands or tufts of yarn come up between two warp threads, as distinguished from Senna knot, where one strand comes up. (See illustration.) TURKOMANS. Turkish nomads and people of Turkish origin settled in Turkestan and around Ganja in the Caucasus. TURUNJI. Design of medallion with rounded corners. VARAMIN. Persian. Of the Kurdish type. 66 Zelie Sultan design, Senna family, pattern five or six inches high, very short pile. 67 VARDAR. A well-known, well designed, firm, heavy weight rug with unusual regularity of weave as displayed by the back. Made principally by the Armenian exiles settled in Greece and Salonica. VENICE. Oriental carpets were made here in Four- teenth Century. YAPRAK. A kind of Oushak rug. YARKAND. Turkestan city of Chinese Government. YESTEKLIK. Small mats. YOMUD. A rug made by tribes in western Turk- estan, similar in general character to Beshires. YURUK. A rug made by the nomadic peoples of Turkey, found frequently in the mountains. Fre- quently mistaken for Kazaks. ZELIE SULTAN. Design type of Senna rug. ZENJAN. Turkish village which markets odds and ends of Mosul and Genghis. Caucasian. 68 c/3 • »■* u tfi 5 be H 69 STERLING & FRANCINE CLARK ART INSTITUTE NK2808.A1 C4 1926 stack Clifford C. R/The rug dictionai 1962 00074 1326