The Somerset reporter., 1889-11-21
BEAUTIFUL OLD RUGS.
SOME OF PECULIAR PATTERN MADE
OVER 4 CENTURY AGO.

The Most Expensive Rogs Are Made Of
the Wool from the Anxor. Coat-Price-
Varying from $40 10 q. ooo-Richer In
Tone After Years Of we~y.
In small room on the seoond floor Of
building near Broad and Market streets.
Newark, young Armenian sat on pile
Of soft and velvety rugs, describing 70
number Of people in the apartment tn.
quality Of the gods, some Of which were
over 100 years old. On the floor lay
fine BDkhara rug, valued at $7j, and
made, it was said. anywhere from 100 %
10 years ago. 1t was Of peculiar pat
tern hardly two Of any Of the similar FIX
ures being alike in every particular
Where In one figure there was back
ground Of red in another there was white
Blue was placed In sorne but omitted il
others, and various other peculiaritie.
were noticed showing that different
colors had been used and that different
women had worked at the same rug
The most admired feature Of the rug was
its beautiful gloss, which changed a. the
light struck it.
THE ARMENIAN RCG MAKER
The Armenian arose from his Seat, and
taking hold of one side Of the rug. swung
it around. Instantly all the colors a.
sumed dark hue, with here and there
where the light fell directly on the rug
bright spot. Another turn was given
and all the warm, bright colors coTnpris-
ing the rug were brought out like flash
The gloss is obtained" the Armenian
explained, by constant wear FOR many
years. A rug does not get any gloss until
it has been used for fifty years, and some
times it even takes longer than that For
this reason principally you can buy a
new rug good deal cheaper than an old
rug There are other reasons, however
why the old rugs are more valuable
Formerly the best wool was used. Now
however. much Of the best wool is sent
to Europe, where 1t commands high
prices. Formerly. also, vegetable dyes
were used entirely. Now mineral dyee
have been introduced, and many Of the
rugs are dyed with mineral and vegetable
dyes combined. The most expensive rugs
II sold one to W. K. Vanderbilt. in
New York, that was over 400 years old
\ gentleman in Wilkesba Pa. bough.
one that was over 200 years old He
paid 500 for it, and it contained twelve
patches, some of which were four or FIVE
inches square. These holes are caused
from constant wear in those places. In
Scranton there is a gentleman whose
father was a missionary to Turkey. The
latter bought a rug forty-eight year.
ago, but it has not got the gloss on ii
yet. At my home in Asia Minor we
have rug my grandfather had fifty
years ago. This is a different kind from
the Bokhara, however, and does not 2: -,
glossy.
The gloss has 70 be obtained from
constant wear. If it be obtained by
other and quicker means it is not the
same. Take such a rug and put it in
water, and it will lose the gloss These
old rugs are cleaned in Turkey by plas
Ing them in the river, and then allowing
them to dry in the sun. They do not
lose their gloss. After years of wear the
colors change. but they become simply
more subdued and richer in tone, and
are more highly priced on that account So
ASTONISHING WEIGHT.
The speaker went to one corner of the
room and lifted rug 81 feet long by g
l-3 feet wide.
Try and lift that he said.
The reporter took hold of it and held 1t
out. 1t felt like so much lead.
That is Tifiis rug, and it weighs
twenty-five or thirty pounds at least
Such rugs as this have the longest nap,
and they are considered most useful as
bedroom rugs. Most of them sell for
from SO to 500, although large ones
bring as much as $500. Some antiques.
measuring 1x16 feet, have brought $500
or $500. The Bokhara, however. is the
most expensive and the finest Of the An
CORA wool rugs. They are more glossy
than any other in Turkish goods. Next
to these the antique Daghestan and ka-
Yak rugs are the glossiest and finest
The latter is a closer woven rug than the
former, this constituting the main differ
ence between them. The Kourdistan
rugs are also very costly, and are among
the heaviest. One. IL by 16 feet. weigh
ing 1aj pounds, brings about $500.
almost any amount of money can be
placed in a rug. An Albany judge,
heard, paid recently in New York $1,000
for one The largest Turkish rug ever
made was made for the sultan about
year and a half ago, in honor OF his
birthday anniversary. 1t was rs yards
long by Is wide. and took forty women
three years TO make it 1t was presented
to the sultan by some wealthy men.
ut is difficult TO say how long i,
would take to make rug. The Turkish
rugs are made by farmers wives and
the poorer class after they are through
with their days work. just as fancy
work is made here They are not made
with the intention Of selling them, al.
though it is not difficult for agents trav.
cling through the country to buy them
Women don't work in factories as they
do here, but there is certain kind of
work which the manufacturers bring
around tothe houses TO be done. Women
in our country haven't the privileges OF
going out and seeing each other that
they have here. They earn living
however. making what are called Bag
dad portiercs, one of which you see
hanging on the wall there. Newark
Advertiser.