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About Collecting Rugs
by Kenneth Bisco
http://www.fesrug.com
As far as hobbies go, collecting rugs has a lot in its
favor. For a start it offers the bonus of helping you
furnish your home with interesting and decorative pieces
- a real bonus for any hobby. But how do you get started
with this hobby?
What are the rugs worth collecting, and where should you
get them? Like most worthwhile hobbies there is a lifetime
of learning on this subject to look forward to, but it pays
to know a little about the subject before you plunge in
- it may also help you avoid wasting your money.
There are some really old rugs still in existence. For
example a woven style rug in prime condition from the 5th
century BC turned up in Siberia in the early part of the
20th century. Also there are some authentic examples of
very old rugs from around in the world that can be
collected - but these will be very expensive to acquire.
If LA happens to be on your travels, you can see a great
example of a genuine antique rug at the LA County Museum of
Art. Here a huge rug by Maqsud of Kashan dating from the
16th century is on display. This is actually only half a
rug, the other half is displayed at in London at the
Victoria and Albert Museum.
The techniques and art of this rug can still be seen in
modern day rugs made by the traditional methods in old
Persia, modern Iran or in Afghanistan. These two places
are not at present popular holiday destinations, but many
people naturally wonder if they can start out on their rug
collection whilst on holiday in a country with a rug-making
tradition - somewhere like Turkey for instance.
Buying a rug in the country where it was produced, the
reasoning goes, will offer a wider selection and better
prices. This may be true, but the pitfalls are great. If
you are not experienced there is a chance that you will pay
over the odds for a carpet that is not worth the money
- there are plenty of cheap imitations made just for
tourists and some sellers consider the ill-informed tourist
fair game. A safer way for a beginner is to buy in their
home country. It will cost more, perhaps, but you have
some sort of come-back if you have been mis-sold. Being
sold a duff in the first place also less likely since a US
dealer will rely heavily on building a reputation for
providing quality.
There is another way to start off your carpet-collecting
hobby, and that is to buy examples because you like them.
In this way you cannot really lose because what matters is
that you enjoy looking at your purchase - it will bring you
joy no matter what. You could make a point of buying from
small designers and producers so that you are supporting
the arts and crafts and filling your home with nice, rare
pieces.
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