The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-04-28
A MOST INTERESTING LECTURE
ON PERSIAN RUGS

The following brief write-up of a
most interesting lecture on the sub
ject of Persian rugs is copied from
Tuesdays Metropolis. This lecture
was delivered before the Jacksonville
| Womans Club, and as it is on sub
ject that is of interest to so many of
our readers, we produce the article
for their benefit-especially for the
pleasure of our feminine readers, to
whom all things beautiful appeal:
"a great treat was afforded the
members of the Woman's Club and
their many visitors yesterday after
noon by the lecture on rugs, which
was given by Raschid, the dealer and
importer of Oriental rugs in the city.
The rooms were gorgeously decorated
in the choicest specimens of his own
collection, the rugs from the store
and many from private sources in the
city. From the balcony hung two
large rugs of great beauty and gor-
geous dyes, and all around the walls
were smaller rugs that glowed like
levels in the afternoon light, for from
the dyeing of the pure Oriental rugs,
the coloring takes on a peculiar jewel
like reflection in the sunlight.
Mrs. Corbett introduced the speak
er after short business session, and
4 t. Ii t~,k IsrI, Il
made the next hour a great joy to the
connoisseur in Persian rugs, for he
gave first the history of rugs. He said
that for twenty-five hundred years be-
fore Christ that the weaving of rugs
had gone on in Persia that there
were about eighty million Oriental
people, and at a rough estimate a
fourth of these might be considered
rug weavers. The oldest recorded
specimen of the work being rug in
the collection in England. which has a
recorded age of about twenty-five
hundred years, and in value almost
equals the jewels it so much sesem-
bles.
Next he touched upon the mate
rails used in the weaving, which are
silk, WOOL cotton and hair, the cotton
used being from Egypt, as the Amer
| lean raised cotton lacks some needed
element for the rug manufacture.
These materials are selected with in
finite care, and any not perfect are re-
| jected. Next comes the dyeing, and
| here the Persian makes it a point of
religion to be exactly with the law,
which declares it a penal offense to
use but the purest vegetable dyes.
The longest printed law in existence
is the one relating to the use of dyes
in Persia, no annaline dyes being per-
mitted, and anyone found using these
pernicious stuffs are not only subject
to the laws, but are social outcasts as
well, as they are regarded "unclean''-
in other words, the equal only of the
leper.
"Corregio was once asked with
what paints his pictures were made.
His reply was, 4 use genius The
Persians can copy the great artist, or
| they dye with genius and their dyes
stay as clear and beautiful after long
years of using as they were originally,
a prayer rug of many years of hardest
usage retaining the soft, clear color
|
| ton both with the dyeing and weav-
ing, Raschid talked of the Herman
shah,' the Royal Seenah,' the Sarouk'
and the "Ardibeely' giving the differ
ence in the dyeing and the process of
weaving of each, and he called special
attention to the designs. pointing out
ures ever large or crude nor did the
colors ever fail to blend softly. To
many of the people present the lee
ture was a revelation, as they had only
regarded rugs as a means to the end
in decorating, and did not realize the
romance which was connected with
| lheIh' hor the long ana teolOuS tlme
it took for the making. as man could
only weave a medium sized one in a
year. Mr.. Raschd had a small loom
with him, and in it rug about elev-
en- inches square which was weaving,
and he used this loom so as the people
could see the process and the mode
of blending the colors. While to the
neophite in rugs. this lecture was
liberal education, to the rug lover it
was finishing school, for it polished
and perfected all the knowledge they
had previously gained
- W. -