A brief introduction to Tibetan rugs
- Rugs made in Tibet are generally woven with local wool from sheep raised in the high pastures of the Himalayas. This resilient, long staple wool offers a good balance of softness and durability. Occasionally yak, goat, or camel hair is used for pile, selvedges, or wefts. Both natural and synthetic dyes have been in use by Tibetan wool dyers for over 100 years.
- The "handle" of Tibetan rugs is generally "floppy" due to the weaving technique and the use of (usually) cotton warp and weft threads for the foundation.
- Design motifs and symbolism are the result of centuries of cultural exchange with neighboring Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan, India, East Turkestan, and China. In an area where literacy has been less than universal, Tibetan rugs often served to tell a story with religious or cultural significance, so the symbolism is much more transparent to than, say, the origin of Turkoman guls.
- The combination of low knot count and a minimal but rich color palette permit weavers to exhibit their skills without being inhibited by too many technicalities.
- The most common sizes we offer are the 'sleeping rug' size, approximately 2-1/2 x 5 feet, and the 'pillar rug' size, approximately 2-1/2 x 6 feet or longer.
- Rugs are most effectively displayed with a border area clear all around, and these sizes are convenient for many locations in smaller rooms where a large rug would appear to be cramped.
What about the age of a rug and its value?
- Determining the age of a Tibetan rug is a matter for experts with long experience, and there are many cases where experts cannot reach a consensus. Most of the rugs on this Website are about 50 years old. Rugs which we believe to be more recent production, or rugs which are almost certainly older, are identified in the item description. The Chinese rug industry defines rugs made before 1911 as "ancient", 1911-1937 rugs as "old", and rugs made after 1937 as "contemporary".
- We believe that more weight should be given to selecting a rug for its construction, materials, colors, design, and condition than for its age. Our approach to rug trading is to make collectible examples of the weavers art available to our customers at a lower price than they are likely to find at a bricks-and-mortar rug shop.
- While it is true that the age of a particular Tibetan rug is open to some debate, the patterns and symbols that are typical of a particular period can be found by refering to color plates in reputable reference books.
Additional sources of information:
Our favorite reference books for Tibetan Rugs include:
- Chinese Rugs - A Buyers Guide, by Lee Allane, published by Thames & Hudson, 1993
- A View of Chinese Rugs from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, by H. A. Lorentz, published by Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., London & Boston, 1972
- Oriental Carpet Design, by P.R.J. Ford, published by Thames & Hudson, 1981 & 1989