About Oriental Carpets and Kilims

Historically, woven carpets originate in antiquity. The earliest known carpets were found in the frozen Pazyryk tombs of Southern Siberia and a carpet of that name in the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg is dated at around 500BC. The classic oriental carpet is still made by hand on a loom by a process of knotting tufts of wool. What is remarkable is how the technique used in making the Pazyryk carpet 2000 years ago, has remained largely unchanged to this day. The only basic change in technique is the gradual replacement since the late 19th Century, of natural vegetable and mineral dyes with synthetics.

Up to '60s, owning an oriental carpet was a sign of status, on a par with investing in works of art. There was a flourishing trade throughout the late 19th and 20th Centuries with American and European dealers sending their agents to Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus to purchase goods for export. Such was their economic power that the traditional rug designs of a whole region in Iran called Saruq, were irretrievably lost due to local weavers being enticed to produce bland patterns that happened to suit the American pre-World War I market. The true village or nomad woven carpet on sale in Bath and Bristol today is based on a tradition of design that goes centuries and continues largely untainted.

Today, the finest pieces still command astronomical prices, but an increase in overall affluence in the West accompanied by increased exposure to oriental culture through ever cheaper travel, has considerably widened the social base of the market. A major expression of this trend is the arrival of the kilim . This style of floor covering has a flat weave with no pile and is generally much cheaper to produce. Alan Webb, who owns Oriental Rugs of Bath and has been in the trade since 1979 says that before the War kilims were virtually unknown in this country: "My former boss remembers bales of carpets arriving before the War, wrapped in kilims. They were simply either discarded or used as wool for repairs". The appearance of a kilim has more of an ethnic feel to it, and its popularity is largely the result of marketing by Habitat in the 60s and 70s. In the old days a Turkey carpet, as they were called, was definitely the preserve of the better off. Alan Webb mentions "I still get the occasional person coming into the shop and asking for a Turkey. Today about 20% of my trade is in kilims."

Buying carpets of any description is in all honesty, a minefield. It is such a complicated subject that even with a factory-made fitted one, you have to become a bit of an expert to know exactly what you are getting. In the case of oriental rugs, especially when you feed in the element of antique versus modern, you can multiply the potential for confusion and potential regret by a factor of 10. Expertise in this highly complex subject takes years to achieve and even the best in the field cannot always agree about the age or provenance of some pieces. Is it an individually made village piece or from a large factory in India, or even a European copy from Rumania? Is it single knotted or double? Is it silk or 'art silk', otherwise known as mercerised cotton? Has it been deceptively restored by painting in worn areas? Even the density of the weave (i.e. knots per square inch) is no real proof of anything. Many loose weave rugs are far more valuable than densely piled ones. Above all, is it a good investment and likely to retain its value? The simple answer is that comparatively few people actually know and the ones that do have spent a lifetime finding out.

Alan Webb, whose background in the trade is substantial, believes that the solution for the average buyer is avoid the temptation for a bargain and to buy from a reputable dealer. Such a dealer will be prepared to give you the necessary guarantees and exchange the piece if it proves to be unsuitable for any sound reason, including that you decide that you don't like it. Most importantly, he is likely to still be around when you come back in a year's time. Alan, who specialises in the home furnishings, as opposed to the collector's market, claims to provide high quality goods that you are unlikely to see in a department store, and at an affordable price. His stock is of village and tribal origin - as opposed to city workshop goods. Their design is informed by the inspiration of the individual weaver, where the colours are more muted and the general composition is simpler and more geometric. The atmosphere of his shop close to Pulteney Bridge conveys the feel of the old established English oriental carpet trade even if the carpets are somewhat less ornate. As he puts it: "I am trying to build up a business based on trust, which I hope will be here in 50 years time".