The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-11
PERSIAN CARPETS AND RUGS.
Costly Work Done in Peasants Houses-The
Luxurious Carpets Called Namads.

Costly Work Done in Peasants Houses-The
Luxurious Carpets Called Namads.
New York sun.
The far-famed rugs and carpets of Persia are
largely made by peasants at their homes, and
are in reality a sort of needlework. United
States Consul general Benjamin. at Teheran,
has sent to the State Department long account
of the business. He says there are four leading
classes of these carpets-the large sized, the
rugs, the ghileem, or knitted goods, and the
namads, or felt carpets. Carpets produced in
Irak are called paraghans, and are frmer than
other Persian carpets Large sized carpets must
be made to order.
Besides the paraghan carpets he says,
floors are also carpeted sometimes with fabrics
from Kerwanshab, Hawaiian, and the district of
Lauristan. Also, for this purpose, the carpets
of Mech-Kabad in Khorassen, are available,
although of inferior texture to the paraghan.
The carpets of Kerwan have the texture fitted
to the rough usage required in covering floors;
but, while perhaps of superior quality to the
paraghan, they are always small and proportion
atelv more expensive.
.''The Persian carpet par excellence is the rug.
The Persians use these in preference to large
sizes First covering the earth floor with
hasseer or mating of split reeds, they lay over
it many rugs, which completely conceal the mat.
This arrangement when composed of rugs of
harmonious designs is very rich, while the cost
is actually less than if one large carpet were en-
ployed instead
'The varieties of Persian rugs are numerous
In some sorts, like the Turkowau, there is "a
general similarity of design, although no two
rugs are altogether identical But in other
classes, such as the rugs of Kerwan, Dyochegan,
or Kurdstan, there is endless variety in design
and texture.
"a point to be considered is that, while the
small carpets of Persia go under the general
designation of rugs it would be a serious mis-
take to consider them all as merely carpets of
small size, intended to be trod on by heavy
shoes. In the first place, Persians, when at
home, take off their shoes, and thus a carpet of
fine delicate wool and design will last for ages,
and actually improve with use such as this. In
the second place, a large proportion of the rugs
of Persia, and especially the finer grades, are
never intended to be laid on the floor, but to
cover divans or tables or to hang as tapestries
and portieres.
'This explains the extreme fneness of texture
and velvety surface which many of these rugs
display, andso accounts for the fringe at the
ends. Some of the rugs Of Kerwan are almost
as fine as cashmere shawls. The designs of
these rugs were formerly of a large pattern,
with general ground of red, white some
other uniform tint, with borders and details of
minute tracery harmonizing with rather than
disturbing the general effect. These patterns
are unquestonably of higher artistic Importance,
exhibiting quality designated by artists as
breadth.
SAT present while there is apparently no diff
ference in texture, there is an evident tendency
toward smaller designs, which lose much OF the
effect unless seen with close inspection. Per
long established custom and it must be conceded
that the modern designs of Persian rugs
more popular with the average European or
American buyer
''The colors formerly employed in the rugs of
Persia were impershable Rugs one hundred
years old show no deterioration in tint, but
rather a softness such as old paintings assume.
The introduction of aniline dyes at one time
threatened to ruin the manufacture OF textile
fabrics IN Persia, but the law against the EN-
ployment of aniline dyes enacted by the Persian
government is enf iced with rigor.
1.-THE namads felt carpets of Persia al
though, produced by process which perhaps
exclude them from the list of strictly textile
fabrics may yet properly be considered in this
report The namad is made by forming frame
of the thickness intended or eXcavating place
in the ground floor of the size and depth equiva-
lent to the namad intended. The hair is laid in
this and beaten with mallets until the original
disjointed mass has obtained cohesion and is re
duced to the dimensions of the frame. A de
sign Of colored threads is beaten into the upper
surface, sometimes quite effective. The namad,
however, is desirable less for its beauty than
the complete sense of comfort which it affords
1t is much thicker than other carpets and the
sensation to the tread is luxurious. No carpet
has ever been manufactured that is
suitable for the comfort of
sleeping room in winter OF course there
is difference in the quality of these
namads but the dearest are far cheaper than
the same surface of carpets or rugs woven in
the usual styles. The great weight and clumsi
ness of the namads must unfortunately prevent
their expectation to any extent until the means
of transport are improved. The best quality of
namad is made at Isfahan, but the most massive
are produced at Yezd One would imagine that
the size of the namad must necessarily be linn
tied But, on the contrary the regular Persian
carpets rarely equal and ever exceed the di-
mansions of some namads the namad is more
often than the carpets intended to cover
tire floor, elegant rugs being laid over it in
nj | b1U mai m UnUtU fiUA feet
long by nearly forty feet wide in one piece
There is one species of rug special to Persia
often spoken of, but rarely seen. l refer to the
rugs made of silk. 1t is not uncommon to see
rugs of the finer types with silken fringes and
sometimes with wool of silk in the body of the
rug. But all silk rugs are rare and rarer now
than formerly. They are generally small and
intended for luxury rather than use. The price
is necessarily very high. The chief of the mer
chants of Teheran told me of one he had seen
oven tomb; it was barely two square yards in
size; but he said 200 tomans or 1850 would be
low price for it.