Hello forum members - I am a new member. I bought this rug at a flea market even though it is worn and in bad repair. I like the colors aqnd pattern. Can anyone tell me where it is from and anything about the people who made it? Also, any information on the symbolism and age would be appreciated. Do you think it has any value? Thank you and best regards from Tony in New Hampshire. You may e mail me at wildings1@myfairpoint.net if you wish or reply on the forum and I will see it.

This looks like an old tribal rug, possibly antique (i.e. possibly over 100 years old), but definitely old.

A tribal rug is made by tribes rather than in established weaving villages or cities.

This rug seems to have all natural (vegetal) colours, the light beige/brown may be natural camel wool.

Many of the symbols are typical for tribal designs, and you find them on rugs of many different tribes. This includes the little animals.

Some symbols and elements are similar to those of baluch rugs (e.g. colour scheme, the narrow arrow-type outer border, the camel field), but baluch rugs tend not to have beige selvages. You find similar colours, including the camel colour, on some south Persian tribal rugs and on some Sarab rugs.

For an old rug it's not even in such a bad conditions, with all ends seemingly intact. If it is clean it's definitely worth more than 10 USD.

Could you give us the size of the rug?

If no-one here can help you identify it, try the turkotek forum:

http://www.turkotek.com/

Paging KAD.

Chris has tons more experience than I, so what he says mostly trumps what I say.

Now that he doesn't want the rug anymore, this knocks several hundred dollars off its value (just kidding).

But the close-up pictures are a little disenchanting (I hadn't seen them earlier). They suggest there may be some colour bleeding. In that case it's not certain that the colours are all natural, hence rug may be less old. Also the somewhat shaggy wool is compatible with Turkish origin.

There are also many design elements on your rug that you find on Turkish rugs, such as what you call crabs (the three-legged ones), the flower head type motives and the star like motives. But you rarely find animals (like yours) on Turkish rugs, some Turkish Kurdish rugs excepted.


Let's see what KAD and RugPro say.

Following up what Randmiller says:

Is the black "pitch black", or is it at some point more like a very dark brown or like a very dark navy?

The worn (and bled out) area of the last photo in your first post: take a wet paper towel, press it on some of the black (don't rub), lift: does it show some colour on the towel?

The animals: they are not camels (camels have humps, even on tribal rugs). I wouldn't think horses either, though definitely with a tail that the animal can swish high over their back ... The stripes on the bodies are similar to those seen on animals on Caucasian rugs.

The "grain-like" thingies with diagonal parallel stripes in zig-zag pattern: sometimes you see these just as filler motives, sometimes individually as some kind of trees, sometimes as feathers, e.g. of peacocks. On your rug they give a nice illusion of three-dimensionality.

In no place does the black look dark brown or navy - it is uniformly black . Does this mean it is not a natural dye?

I wish I owned that rug, Chris, but not affordable for me at this point (see link below for price). Was just looking for something with symmetrical knot, depressed warp and comparable colour scheme to the rug posted.http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5574716523&toolid=10001&campid=5336111917&customid=Forum&icep_item=300414283361&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg

Mmh...yes, Serapi with Zick-Zack-Border is unusual. But this Karachopf looks more like a Karabagh weaving.

Dear forum members, Do you need me to take some new pictures trying to highlight anything in particular? I appreciate all your comments, and find them most interesting. I had some nice rugs many years ago, but they were stolen during a robbery - this one will be the first for my starting over. Thanks again, T

I will post a couple of pictures of the selvege from the top side of the rug - please let me know if you wouldlikeanything further. Thanks, T