Old Belutsch | 317 x 72 cm | Nr. Z-4179

All-over patterned old Baluch runner, dark brown with border and diamonds

Origin	Afghanistan
Dimensions	317 cm x 72 cm (= 2.2824 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) Weft & Warp: wool
knots per m²2	180.000
Pile height	4mm
Year of manufacture	1940
Colour	Dark brown, rust red
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

Belutsch is a rug provenance spanning Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. Belutsch rugs (also Belutsch, Beloutch, Beluch, Baluch, Belutch, Balouch, Baloutche or Balúchi) are made by semi-nomads and nomads. Originally, Belutsch rugs were knotted exclusively by the Baluch nomads. Today, however, several other tribes knot Belutsch rugs as well. The patterns tend to be geometric and the palette stays within reds and browns. Mostly small rugs and mats are produced, as these are used by the nomads themselves and are easier to transport. This old Belutsch is around 80 years old and a real collector's piece.

Pattern

The ornate border forms a wonderful contrast with the centre and shapes the transition at the edge of the rug.

The repeating elements of this Belutsch rug have no particular centre. The recurring repeat pattern feels calming without ever being dull. Rugs with a repeat pattern are also described as all-over designs.

In the pattern of this Belutsch it is above all the diamonds that catch the eye. A diamond is a rhombus standing on one of its points, and in the Oriental rug its four equal sides may be serrated, stepped or set with hooks. The diamond is one of the oldest basic forms in the Oriental rug. In the Islamic world it carries a symbolic meaning: it stands for the immortality of the soul. That is why it is so often found as a filler motif.

The overall impression is dominated by dark brown and rust red. The border is worked in dark brown and rust red.

Condition

You are not the first to take a liking to this Baluch. It has had owners before you who treasured and used it. It was hand-knotted around 1940. It has been thoroughly cleaned and is in good but unrestored condition. The fringes could do with a repair. The pile is heavily worn. We have not restored this Baluch because we feel it has a special presence just as it is. If you would like us to, we will of course be happy to restore the rug for you. Either way, this Baluch will bring you pleasure for decades to come.

Material

The technique used to produce the materials for the pile of this Belutsch is over 200 years old. The wool was dyed with natural dyes and spun by hand. Dyeing with natural or plant-based dyes is more complicated, more expensive and more time-consuming than dyeing with chemical colours. For a luminous red, for example, you need around one kilo of ground madder root as dyestuff per kilo of wool. For a strong yellow that isn't too pale, you even need two kilograms of the dyestuff weld per kilo of wool. Spinning the wool is labour-intensive and time-consuming too. On top of that, fewer and fewer people still know how to spin wool by hand.

But the effort is worth it: dyeing with natural colours lets the high-quality wool keep its natural lanolin content. Wool that is naturally dyed and hand-spun creates fascinating, shifting patterns. The charm of hand-spun wool, with its slight irregularities and natural shades, comes into its own as a contrast in modern interiors, but equally in rooms furnished in a more traditional or country-house style. The foundation (weft and warp threads) of this Belutsch is made of new wool.