Oriental Rugs Part 15

All of the drawing has clear definition accentuated by rich and strongly contrasting colours. The fields of the namazliks, like those of the Ghiordes, are entirely occupied by ma.s.ses of unshaded blue, red, or brown, that are relieved only by the colours of superimposed designs.

But as is not the case with Ghiordes, there is often a strong contrast between the colours of centre and ends; yet the tones are always in perfect harmony. Other rugs may have more delicate drawing or more exquisite finish; but in the barbaric arrangement of strong colour and in the uniqueness of graceful designs, none exceed the old prayer Ladiks.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE 42. CHICHI RUG]

_Type Characteristics._ _Colours_, princ.i.p.ally red and blue, with minor quant.i.ties of green, yellow, and brown. _Knot_, Ghiordes. Knots to inch horizontally nine to twelve; perpendicularly, ten to thirteen. A half knot as it appears at back is longer than wide. The rows of knots are pressed down so that the warp is concealed at back. _Warp_, wool. One of the two threads encircled by a knot is generally depressed below the other at the back. _Weft_, wool of fine diameter, generally dyed red. A thread of weft crosses twice between every two rows of knots. _Pile_, wool, of medium length. _Border_, three to five stripes. _Sides_, a red added selvage of two or three cords. _Both ends_, a narrow web and warp fringe. _Texture_, moderately firm. _Weave_ at back is of medium grain.

_Usual length_, four and one half to seven feet. _Usual width_, three fifths to two thirds length.

KIR-SHEHRS.-To the north of the great salt desert and in the southern part of the province of Angora is the town of Kir-Shehr. It stands between two mountain ranges, on which are raised sheep with fine fleeces, and is on the branch of the Kizil Irmak, whose waters are well suited for preparing wool for the dyes obtained in the surrounding country. On account of the excellence of wool, water, and natural dyes, as well as the remoteness of the town from main highways of travel, many of the old rugs were excellent pieces, free from the taint of Western influences, and possessing the charm of individuality. It was due, moreover, to the fact that its three or four thousand inhabitants, and the Turkomans who roamed the surrounding country, rarely felt the influence of larger cities that they were so untrammelled by conventionalities. Unhesitatingly they grouped together large s.p.a.ces of red, yellow, and blue, as well as gra.s.s-coloured green, for which they had a particular fondness and employed to a greater extent than almost any other weavers; yet in the case of these old pieces the artistic sense is rarely shocked, since the individual colours are good and the tones are harmonious. Furthermore, the patterns show an unusual blending of floral and geometric forms.

Most of the pieces come in moderate sizes; some are mats, others small sedjadehs, but the choicest are the prayer rugs. The serrated sides of the arch, which rise at a steep angle from the centres of each side of the rather narrow fields, are formed of several parallel lines of different colour. In a not unusual rug, for instance, eight narrow lines separating the spandrel of gra.s.s-green from the inner field of brick-red appeared in the following order: red, black, white, yellow, lavender, yellow, red, and blue. The inmost line is frequently fringed with tri-cleft floral forms, which, as in Koniehs, extend in a row along the sides of the field. From the niche is usually suspended the design of an inverted tree of life, and above it are projected latch-hooks or similar devices. It is not unusual to see two arches, and there are sometimes as many as four, placed one within the other. The s.p.a.cious spandrel that is continued in narrow stripes along the borders to the bottom of the field is covered with geometric or conventionalised floral forms; and the horizontal panel, which may be placed at either end of the field, contains designs in harmony with the remaining parts.

On the whole, the wide borders have some of the most characteristic features; for, as a rule, not only are one or two of the stripes of a peculiar cherry red and one a rich yellow, but three or four of the narrow stripes next to the field are similar in width and ornamentation to those of the Kulah. When contrasted with them the broad central stripe and the outer one seem lacking in harmony, for they are distinctly floral and suggestive of Persian influences.

On account of the quality of their wool and weave, these rugs are soft and flexible. They resemble in some minor details others of the Anatolian plateau, yet they can be distinguished by the presence of gra.s.s-green colour and the shape of the prayer arch. The nap of these old pieces, like that of Kulahs and Ladiks, is of medium length; though in modern pieces it is often longer, and the weft and webs are coloured as are those of Bergamos.

_Type Characteristics._ _Colours_, princ.i.p.ally red and green, also some blue, brown, and white. Knot, Ghiordes. _Knots_ to inch horizontally five to nine; perpendicularly, five to ten. A half knot as it appears at back is as long as, or longer than, wide. The rows of knots are not firmly pressed down, so that in places the warp shows. _Warp_, wool; each of the two threads encircled by a knot is equally prominent at back, or occasionally one is slightly depressed. _Weft_, wool, of medium or coa.r.s.e diameter and generally of different colours in the same rug. A thread of weft crosses from two to six times between two rows of knots, varying in the same rug. _Pile_, wool, of medium length. _Border_, from five to eight stripes. _Sides_, a weft selvage of two, three, or four cords of different colours. _Lower end_, web and warp loops. _Upper end_, a web and warp fringe. _Texture_, loose. _Weave_ at back is of coa.r.s.e grain. _Usual length_, four to six feet. _Usual width_, two thirds to four fifths length.

ANATOLIANS.-To all of Asia Minor was once applied the term "Anatolia,"

which signifies the Land of the Rising Sun; so that any product of this country might well be called Anatolian, just as any product of Persia might be called Iranian. In fact, many of the less known cla.s.ses, as the Nigde, Tuzla, Mudjar, and even the Kir-Shehr, Melez, and Konieh, are often called Anatolian. But as there is a special type of rugs known as Iranians, so is there a special type known as Anatolians. They are, however, a mixed lot, that come from parts of a wide stretch of territory, extending over the interior table-land to the home of the Kurds, and incorporating ideas received from many districts. It is, accordingly, difficult to define them as a type; but, as a rule, they are small pieces that are often used for mats and pillows, with moderately long nap of soft, floccy wool, with narrow borders, and a colour scheme that inclines to bright and sometimes garish colours.

Doubtless the best of them come from the provinces of Angora and Konieh, lying within a radius of one hundred miles of Lake Tuz Gul. Here can be obtained the best of wool and dyes; and in some of the old pieces appears the artistic drawing of the more important rug centres farther to the west, but with a strange blending of geometric and floral forms.

Eight-pointed stars as well as latch-hooks are seen everywhere, and a very old design with the shape of ram's horns is frequently used. In many of the prayer rugs the arches are of the Kir-Shehr order, though the panels may contain vand.y.k.es suggestive of Ladiks. There is the greatest lat.i.tude in the width of the borders, which occasionally are their most noticeable feature and again are most insignificant; but in either case they rarely contain more than three stripes, and not infrequently only one. Red, blue, green, and brown are the usual colours, but pink and canary yellow are sometimes used.

Farther to the east, among the foot-hills of the Anti-Taurus mountains, is woven a coa.r.s.er type by the Kurdish tribes. With the exception of wool and dyes they have little to their credit; for their usual unsymmetric shapes, crude geometric designs, long uneven nap, and braided fringe of warp at the ends are lacking in all elegance.

_Type Characteristics._ _Colours_, princ.i.p.ally red, blue, green, brown, and white. _Knot_, Ghiordes. Knots to inch horizontally five to nine; perpendicularly, six to twelve. A half knot, as it appears at back, is generally as long as wide, or longer. The rows of knots are not firmly pressed down, yet the warp is frequently concealed at back. _Warp_, wool; each of the two threads encircled by a knot is equally prominent at back. _Weft_, wool, of medium or coa.r.s.e diameter and usually dyed, A thread of weft crosses two, three, and four times between two rows of knots frequently varying in the same piece. _Pile_, wool, of medium length. _Border_, one to three stripes, and occasionally an edging.

_Sides_, a weft selvage of two or three cords. _Both ends_, a web and warp fringe. _Texture_, loose. _Weave_ at back is of coa.r.s.e grain.

_Usual length_, two and one half to six feet. _Usual width_, one half to two thirds length.

KARAMANS.-At the foot of Mt. Taurus and overlooking the plain that stretches northward into the heart of Asia Minor is the city of Karaman.

Before its subjection in the XV Century by Bajazet II and the removal of the capital to Konieh, that lies sixty miles to the northwest, it was the seat of a Turkish government extending to the Mediterranean Sea; but to-day the only reminder of its early importance are several Saracenic mosques covered with rich arabesques. Of the rugs woven there during the early period almost nothing is known, but, on account of the former importance of the city, it is not improbable that they compared favourably with the rugs of other parts of the Turkish Empire. On the other hand, some of the modern products are among the poorest rugs of the East, and contain little artistic merit. A feature peculiar to many of them is the use of natural wool of reddish brown colour, obtained from sheep which live on the mountain ranges to the south of Karaman.

The pile is long, the weave is never very firm, and at each end is a coloured web.

SIVAS.-In the city of Sivas, at the eastern end of Anatolia, and in the villages of the surrounding plain, girls and women have woven rugs from time immemorial; but on account of the difficulties of transportation few of them reach this country. The carefully finished sides and ends, the formal character of the pattern, and the almost harsh effect of the strongly contrasting colours of many of them are unlike what are found in the nomadic rugs made farther to the east and west. In the weave is a hint of Persian influence; for not only are both warp and weft of cotton, but the warp is of small diameter and well spun, and one of the two threads to which a knot is tied is depressed below the other. The pattern, on the other hand, is distinctly Turkish. One of the best known types consists of a large hexagon that reaches to the sides and ends, and contains within it a medallion on which are designs similar to those seen in Bergamos. On the white field surrounding the medallion are often small rosettes and floral figures. The corners of the field may be fringed with running latch-hooks or a row of formal T's, and contain a rosette at their centre. The borders are rarely wide, and often consist of a single stripe that contains some conventionalised floral form.

Although these rugs are well woven, their crude blending of floral and geometric figures, as well as their formality of drawing, which is accentuated by the shortness of the nap, are most suggestive of Occidental conventions.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE 43. TCHERKESS RUG]

_Type Characteristics._ _Colours_, princ.i.p.ally red and white; also dull blue, green, and light yellow. _Knot_, Ghiordes. Knots to inch horizontally seven to eleven; perpendicularly, nine to fifteen. A half knot, as it appears at back, is not as long as wide. The rows of knots are pressed down, so that the warp does not show at back. _Warp_, cotton, well spun and of small diameter. One of the two threads encircled by a knot is depressed below the other at back and sometimes doubled under the other. _Weft_, cotton, of medium diameter. A thread of weft crosses twice between every two rows of knots. _Pile_, wool of short to medium length. _Border_, narrow, one to three stripes. _Sides_, an added selvage of four or five cords attached in places, and with weft encircling inner cord of selvage. _Both ends_, narrow web and loose warp fringe. _Texture_, firm. _Weave_ at back is only slightly coa.r.s.e. _Usual length_, three and one half to six and one half feet. _Usual width_, two thirds to four fifths length.

MUDJARS.-Near the river Kizil Irmak in Central Asia Minor is the city of Mudjar, which produces rugs that occasionally reach this country. They are often cla.s.sed as Anatolians, but their colour scheme covers a wider range, including red, yellow, green, blue, mauve, and pink, all of which may be seen in the same piece. In fact no other rug of Asia Minor contains as a rule so many colours, which appear in the broad borders of old, well-woven pieces with glistening wool almost like mosaic work.

Many of this cla.s.s are namazliks with arches very similar to the arches in the rugs of Kir-Shehr, which is distant only twenty-five miles to the north; and in the panels above the spandrel are not infrequently designs of vand.y.k.es borrowed from the Ladiks. Some suggestion of the tree of life often appears in the field, and again rows of flowers may extend into it from the sides. Some of the best examples are very handsome.

_Type Characteristics._ _Colours_, princ.i.p.ally red, yellow, blue, green, and ivory, also mauve and pink. _Knot_, Ghiordes. Knots to inch horizontally six to nine; perpendicularly, seven to twelve. _Warp_, wool. Each of the two threads of warp encircled by a knot is frequently equally prominent at the back, but generally one is depressed below the other. _Weft_, wool, of medium to coa.r.s.e diameter dyed red or brown. A thread of weft crosses twice between every two rows of knots. _Pile_, wool of medium length. _Border_, broad, of three to four stripes.

_Sides_, a three-cord selvage, frequently red. _Both ends_, coloured webs and fringe. _Texture_, loose. _Weave_, moderately coa.r.s.e. _Usual length_, four to six feet. _Usual width_, two thirds to three quarters length.

NIGDES.-Near the base of the Anti-Taurus mountains in the eastern part of the province of Konieh is the city of Nigde, which is little known in this country as a rug-producing centre, though its fabrics reach Europe.

Many of them are namazliks, that are distinguished by their high geometric arches. The borders often show the influence of the Kurdish tribes, and contain patterns common in the Mesopotamian valley; but their colour scheme of red, blue, and yellow more closely resembles the Anatolian. Most of them are of small size and are poorly woven.

TUZLAS.-Another cla.s.s of Asia Minor rugs rarely seen are the Tuzlas.

They are generally regarded as Anatolians, but are made by people who live about Lake Tuz Gul in the province of Konieh. Some of them are well woven, and have soft woollen pile and attractive patterns. The prayer arch of the namazliks bears some resemblance to the arch of the Kir-Shehrs; the panel is relatively high; and not infrequently the borders have rosettes similar to those of Bergamos. The princ.i.p.al colours are red, blue, green, and ivory.

KAISARIYEH.-One of the few Asia Minor centres for the manufacture of silk textiles is the city of Kaisariyeh, the ancient Caesarea, near the eastern part of Anatolia. Formerly rugs of excellent quality were made there; but the modern products are, as a rule, inferior both in workmanship and material to those of Hereke. Frequently their dyes are aniline and the colours garish. Many of them are prayer rugs with arches resembling the Ghiordes pattern, but their borders are more conventional. Woollen rugs which are copies of other well-known Asia Minor pieces are also woven there.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _COLOUR PLATE VII-LADIK PRAYER RUG_

_The rug here represented conforms in every particular to one of the best types of Ladik prayer rugs. It contains the beautiful border stripe of Rhodian lilies, the pomegranates and vand.y.k.es in the panel below the central field, and the queer designs of scrolls and serrated leaves so peculiar to these rugs. It is interesting to see how the pattern of the innermost stripe, which consists of a row of S-forms at the top and sides, is changed so as to resemble a ribbon at the bottom, to note the eight-pointed stars resting on octagons in the lower panel, so suggestive of nomads, and also the designs which have been placed near the two corners on the left, between the rosettes and Rhodian lilies of the main stripe, as if to divert the spell of the "evil-eye." Such irregularities, denoting the idiosyncrasies of the weaver, add to the charm of Oriental rugs._

_Loaned by Mr. Hulett C. Merritt_]

YURUKS.-Suggestive of gipsies, yet widely unlike them, are the tribes of Turkoman descent known as Yuruks. This term means "Wanderers;" and they are well named, since throughout the western part of Asia Minor they follow their sheep, cattle, and camels from the rich pastures among the mountain tops of the interior, where they live in summer, to the fertile, sunny plains bordering the seash.o.r.e in winter. Even near Smyrna and the slopes of Mt. Olympus may be seen their black goat's-hair tents, where the unexpected guest is always welcome.

In their rugs is the reflection of their untrammelled lives, unaffected by the refinements of cities; and as their lives are different from those of all other inhabitants of Asia Minor, so are these rugs entirely distinct, resembling more than anything else the work of the wild Kazaks of the Caucasus. In them will be recognised the same long nap, the same ma.s.sing of colour, the same profusion of latch-hooks, and other simple designs. The colours, however, are less brilliant, bright reds and yellows being more sparingly used; but on the other hand the depth of floccy nap gives a subdued richness to the dark metallic madder, blue, green, and brown, such as is rarely seen in any Kazak. The patterns show the usual diversity of nomadic rugs. The fields may contain crude, unrelated figures, or diagonal stripes on which are small geometric designs. Again from the Kurdish tribes to the east may be adopted the pear designs as well as floral forms, but the drawing is always far from realistic.

Most of the modern rugs have fine wool coloured with vegetable dyes, and stout warp and weft woven to give flexibility; but their patterns show a want of all artistic feeling. Now and then, however, comes to light a piece that has stood the wear of more than a century, showing the touch of a higher craftsmanship, and with colours softened by each succeeding year.

_Type Characteristics._ _Colours_, princ.i.p.ally brown, red, and blue, with minor quant.i.ties of yellow, green, and white. _Knot_, Ghiordes.

Knots to inch horizontally five to seven; perpendicularly, six to nine.

The rows of knots are not closely pressed down, yet the warp does not show at back. _Warp_, wool or goat's hair; each of the two threads encircled by a half knot is equally prominent at back. _Weft_, wool of medium diameter. A thread of weft crosses two, three, or four times between every two rows of knots, varying in the same rug. _Pile_, wool, clipped long. _Border_, from four to six stripes, occasionally with an outer edging. _Sides_, generally a heavy double overcasting, but occasionally a double selvage of two or three cords. _Lower end_, a coloured web through which generally runs a parti-coloured cord, and warp loops; or the warp threads may be knotted and hang loose. _Upper end_, a coloured web through which generally runs a parti-coloured cord, a braided selvage, and a warp fringe; or the warp ends may be braided together at short intervals. _Texture_, loose. _Weave_ at back is of moderately coa.r.s.e grain. _Usual length_, four to nine feet. _Usual width_, two fifths to two thirds length.

ASIA MINOR BORDER STRIPES

Regarded as a whole, the borders of Asia Minor rugs show but slight relationship to either the geometric patterns of the Caucasian, or the floral patterns of the Persian; for as a rule the geometric features either are subordinate or suggest an origin by degradation from floral designs, and the floral features generally are represented by an orderly arrangement of disjunct forms rather than by continuous vines with pendent flowers. Yet there is no doubt that some were copied by Caucasian weavers, and that many were derived from Persian patterns.

They are frequently, however, more artistic than the former, more interesting than the latter, and rival both in beautiful colouring and delicate drawing.

_Primary Stripes._-Several different stripes peculiar to Ghiordes prayer rugs are ill.u.s.trated in Plate G, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (opp. Page 192). The first of these is probably the oldest. It is so strikingly suggestive of the Herati design of rosette and attendant leaves that there can be little doubt of its Persian origin. The seed-like processes of the alternate rosettes are noticeable. The second, which is found in many of the Ghiordes rugs, shows the same pattern more conventionalised, with the rosette resembling an open pod and with the leaves almost octagonal-shaped. The third is a still greater evolution of the same pattern in which leaves and rosettes of nearly equal shape and size are placed at three angles of a quadrangular s.p.a.ce. The last, which is a very elaborate pattern somewhat similar to the first, is found in a few old rugs. Besides these, a number of parallel lines similar to those of Kulah rugs (Plate G, Fig. 12) are sometimes seen in the Ghiordes.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE G. PRIMARY BORDER-STRIPES OF ASIA MINOR RUGS]

One of the best known Ghiordes stripes found in odjaliks and sedjadehs is shown in Plate G, Fig. 6. It is a broad stripe with wide, vine-like bands covered with rows of small flecks or flowers. Between each flexure of the band are designs probably symbolic of early sun worship.

In Plate G, Fig. 7, is represented the most usual and beautiful stripe of the Ladik prayer rugs. The princ.i.p.al motives are Rhodian lilies, and rosettes identical with Persian forms, that are probably conventionalised roses. Another stripe, in which the lily is replaced by a conventionalised vine, is shown in Plate G, Fig. 8. Both these stripes are found only in Ladik rugs. Other stripes seen now and then in Ladik and Melez sedjadehs are ill.u.s.trated in Plate G, Figs. 9, 10, and 11, each of which shows a conventionalised leaf.

One of the most typical Kulah stripes is seen in Plate G, Fig. 12. It might in fact be regarded as a number of parallel stripes, but as will be evident by observing a large series of Kulahs it serves the function of a single broad stripe. Often the separate bands are replaced by a ground of uniform colour marked by parallel rows of minute flowers of regularly varying colour. Occasionally this stripe is copied by Ghiordes weavers.

In Plate G, Fig. 13, is a well-known stripe that appears both in Kulah and Rhodian rugs. As previously explained, its origin is probably floral, though the drawing is geometric. A formal stripe found in Bergamos, and consisting largely of diamonds and eight-pointed stars, is represented in Plate G, Fig. 14.

Figs. 15 and 16 of Plate G ill.u.s.trate the border stripes of Melez rugs.

Each contains regularly s.p.a.ced rosettes, separated by conventionalised leaf forms. A much more geometric Melez border, in which the rosettes are replaced by eight-pointed stars and the leaves by discs, is shown in Plate G, Fig. 17.