Afghan in pure silk | 122 cm x 82 cm | Nr. 20733

Afghan in pure silk

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Afghanistan
Dimensions	122 cm x 82 cm (= 1.0 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk
knots	360.000
Condition	pre-owned, cleaned & partially restored
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

Rugs made in Afghanistan – known as Afghan rugs, or simply Afghans – are unmistakable. In Afghanistan's cultural melting pot, Baluch, Turkmen, Kazakh and Uzbek weavers came together, each bringing influences from their homelands. During the 19th century, Turkoman tribes settled villages in Afghanistan, which brought Turkoman weaving styles into the region. The designs of the various tribal groups – among them Esari, Salor, Tekke and Yomut – are wonderfully varied. What holds them together stylistically is the use of intricate elephant's foot motifs (known as guls), lively reds, decorative bands and ornamental end panels.

Tribal weavers used natural dyes to create an enormous range of reds, from deep aubergine brown to warm burnt orange. These glowing colours are traditionally combined with clear blues and ivory accents. While the tribes of Afghanistan frequently use guls and serrated stars, it is in the decorative borders and end panels that weavers have traditionally worked a little of themselves and their culture into the design. The same is true of the decorative rugs from Bukhara, where all-over gul motifs are widespread.

The gul is a versatile motif, used as a medallion or for repeating patterns. It can be set against a monochrome field or linked into a striking tile pattern. The rich colours and bold design of antique Afghan rugs make them spectacular statement pieces that complement a wide variety of interior styles perfectly.

Because of the political situation in Afghanistan, only a few Afghan rugs are still made today.

Material

The silk of the pile of this Afghan in pure silk makes the colours of the pattern shine – depending on the light – in a variety of facets. It turns this Afghan in pure silk into a real jewel and creates an atmosphere in the room that is cosy and at the same time very elegant and refined. Silk is obtained by hand from the cocoons of the silkworm. Because the individual silk filaments are extremely long, very fine yarns can be made that are light in weight yet still tear-resistant. The fine yarn makes it possible to tie smaller rug knots and so to create finer patterns. This is why the finest rugs in the world are hand-knotted from pure silk.

The weft and warp threads of this Afghan in pure silk are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic and therefore particularly well suited to a hard-wearing foundation.

Condition

This Afghan in pure silk has a history. It was knotted around 26. It has been cleaned thoroughly and is in good, though only partly restored, condition. The fringes could do with a little repair here and there. We have not fully restored this Afghan in pure silk, because we feel it has a special charm just as it is. If that is what you would like, we are of course happy to restore the rug further for you. We can bring almost any rug back to near-perfect condition.