Through time, art was born out of necessity. The nomadic population evolved towards socially structured groups and began to settle down in permanent habitations. From being simply articles of need, the increasing beauty of the carpets spurned new owners and sponsors – the kings and the noblemen, who viewed carpets as a sign of wealth and status and used them to adorn their fine buildings and palaces. Thus the hand-woven carpet, once a highly personal and private possession, became an item for trade. Subsequently, the need to increase trade led to each tribe developing design elements that would distinguish their weaves from those of other groups. This gave way to the rich diversity of colours, patterns and symbols that characterize Oriental carpets. This also began the process of people handing down their skills to their children, who built on those skills and in turn handed down the closely guarded family secrets to their offspring.
To make a carpet in those days required tremendous perseverance. Even when carpet making developed to the stage of workshops, with several employees working on the same carpet, it was a question of months and often years of painstaking work. The leader would dictate through a series of chants to the other workers the color of the individual strands of wool to be knotted. When the time came for the tribe to move on, the loom had to be dismantled and the unfinished carpet folded as best as it could. The following season, it had to be put up again at some new oasis.
At the Orientalist, we help you appreciate Persian rugs better.
Our Classes
Not sure what hand-woven carpets are all about? Fret not. We conduct entertaining and fun master classes to help you unravel the mysteries of hand-woven carpets and rugs. You will learn it all; from the process how a carpet is woven to the different types of carpets to selecting the right carpet for the right area. Our workshops and classes will give you a whole new paradigm on Persian carpet appreciation.