so i've finally found a rug i can go visit in person and determine if i want to buy...with that said, what is a good list of things to run through when you have the rug in front of you????

...and attached are some photos from the seller...obviously some side issues, and refringe, but overall looks good. it's 8'5x11.3...asking 750, said it appraised in 2002 for 5500 and roughly 1940s. ...and what a/ the refringing...is this something you can undue???

please let me know what you think...i'm thinking a/ going monday if it's worth the trip (about an hour)...

thanks!!!!

mosaic.

ps...i haven't moved on the other sarouks and kermans i've listed...just kind of a hassle w/ shipping and not being to see in person; but thanks for all the comments... i'm interested in this one above, so hopefully rugpro and everyone can let me know whether i'm wasting my time!

Ok wait....saw something which gave me pause,odd striations, could be nothing. but needs careful scrutiny if the pile is very low here and we are seeing wefts. See below, I enlarged it.......we need Pro to check this out.

By the by, I also grew up in a Tutor revival house! With a turret. And antiquarian parents....I once thought were odd. I am crossing my fingas THAT YOU MAY HAVE FINALLY found YOUR Sarouk!!!!!! Cause look at how intelligently, patiently and deliberately you have been going about this!

Hi!

We Are waiting for Pro to weigh in, will be most interested in his responses-observations.

I did find my Sarouk.....subject of many older posts delineating the journey.....but now I am addicted to Sarouks and want all of them. lol It is simple gluttony.

Re the size of the dining room.....all I can say is, if this puppy is as wonderful & as much of a bargain as I think and hope it might be.....just tear down that bearing wall!! Kidding. Puhleeeeaaaze......you live in a HOUSE.....trust me, there is a room in which this puppy will fit and bring joy for many decades!

Again, if what generated the end repair is what I wrote.....I honestly think that that is is a little florid ENHANCES THE PERSONALITY OF THE RUG. Esp given what a meticulous repair was done. There is obviously a place for high end curators who oversee careful restorations on properties and objects.... famous residences, even doing chemical analysis on paint chips, etc. guess who is given the job of doing that in my building? Yep. We are a Landmark, so. wjenm someth8ing comes up. they chase me around until I agree cause I adore stuff like that no matter how challenging---one example: finding the one person in America who could & agreed to make a custom mold for one of our original, DECO lobby ceiling shades (17: in diameter, some delivery persom smashed one).....spun, blown and then etched. Do not ask wut this cost, U don wanna know....but there is also a place for personal expression and seeing when something a little unconventional can add something.

Even when people restore classic cars.....they not only bring them up to speed no pun intended, technologically, but they also often bring the overall style to over the top.

There is a place for TRICKED OUT!!!! Think outside the box a bit, and have some FUN! This not strictly adhering to original style end repair.....I truly feel adds personality and verve and makes this rug special. You are not looking for something meant to end up in the Victoria & Albert, right? Or Christies with a 40K reserve. I see this as liberating and good. I am not sure what the corner tab kilim-fringe thingy is.....but I LIKE IT; it is wondrously insane.

Would what I see augmenting personality impact resale value? Probably. But so what? Were the asking price higher.....the have some fun aspects would be precluded. See it all with new eyes and in perspective.

This issue also works back to a distinction made by Coco Chanel re fashion is for those without STYLE.

I think if U go tomorrow which I hope U do.....it will be lovely adventure!!!! Opposite or replicants going to THEME PARKS, ok?

As for assessing the rug.....some of the elements are academic and learned....stuff you can come to own right here. Other parts are intuitive, i.e, the overall lifeforce and health of the rug. Is it defeated and pancaced and limp or is it springy with health? Bet you will be able to get a feel for the level of pile wear when you see it, get down there, handle it, fold a corner up, bend it at various poinst to see the level of foundation health & pile and how the wool separates, etc. Brush yr hands across the pile.....it is partly a sensory thing.
"Juicy" versus depleted. These beyond the basics as I tried to list them, and, I am sure, as Pro will refine them. Also factor in the obvious: if you adore it, find it's overall health good, you will also be saving shipping. My Sarouk cost $165 to ship and I paid it happily....this included Larry, the UPS store owner up there going to the gallery and folding-rolling it expertly and boxing it. That's another thing; the weight. When they get very worn, depleted and depressed, they get LIMP & Lighter. But if this puppy is healthy & HAS LIFE & RESILIENCEY, it will weigh maybe 90 pounds. Now think of what percentage of a possible buying price you might save on not having to pay shipping.

Just had idea: Joe Nevo often includes a pic of a portion of a given rug's pile pinched between human fingers to convey some of the above. I will now look for one of those and paste it here

It appears to me this puppy was loved and well cared for.....and I again include the end repair.

Now, my toes R crossed. Cause I need my fingers to function in the usual ways. lol

Re below aids-visuals, I learned over time, that high end vendors include such images only when the pile is really good and almost full, given it is a real selling point. Re some very rare rugs, this is not always an issue, but with vintage Sarouks, it is.

Good I am not going with you....cept in my mind, I mean. I would be leaping into the air, crawling about on the puppy, bouncing around, hugging people & singing "He'll take it, he'll take it!!!! You would so regret my presence. lol

Just one more thing: if we look closely at the end repair, we conclude there must have been end loss comprising several rows on the guard border. To replace those rows and match the wool & restore original type short, fine fringes would have been a fortune. Using the skirt or kilim, I think was creatively and aesthetically sharp, also necessary to hide the end loss when the rug is viewed from the top. then get that to then use short, fine fringes would not have worked. Again, remember, this is the guard border. Then remember this is a room sized Sarouk, and so, the repair involves a tiny percentage of the rug per se.

Make no mistake about it, this was meticulous, time consuming, SOUND, well executed, and not cheap repair WHICH WILL LAST. It was not a band aid. The more I get it, the more I respect it. It is now part of the rich provenance of the rug.
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Addendum-afterthought:

The repair looks relatively recent, at least, to me. I would totally ask if the current owner had this done and when.....and, without being intrusive, see if you can elicit some details. For me, this would be more pure curiosity driven thing than anything else. But isn't a core adventure of life being purely moved to learn ongoing?

Hope Pro sees all this soon and weighs in.......cause he is the experienced one, I am a beginner.

...well, i guess i have to make the trip now, right :) yea, i'm going to call and schedule... thanks for the great post w/ advice for checking quality and i'll report back. also, so Rugpro, would you agree w/ Jilly that the refringe is of good quality...

thanks and i'll let you all know how it goes!

wow! mosaic you got your rug! it's really nice, 400 sounds like a really good deal despite the glue. absolutely awesome, you were waiting for quite some time!

i think it's probably from the very early 2nd quarter 20th century. the refringe is not great for value, but the rug does seems to have the first red border going all the way around. in other words, apears to not have reduction to the length. value I would have to see more close ups of the pile. for some reason on my computer it seems like the images get messed up. it's a really nice looking rug tho