Old Kelim pouch | 178 x 57 cm | Nr. Z-1438

Mottled old Kelim bag runner, dark red with stripes

Origin	Persia
Dimensions	178 cm x 57 cm (= 1.01 m²)
Construction	hand-woven
Material	Weft (pile): wool Warp: wool
Pile height	6mm
Year of manufacture	1950
Colour	Dark red, dark blue
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

Kelims (also written Kilim, Qilim) were traditionally made only for the weavers' own use. Nomads and farmers used and still use their Kelims as rugs on the floor, but also as tent or wall hangings, blankets, cushions or – like this Kelim – as containers for transport. This Kelim bag was probably woven as a saddlebag for donkeys, camels or a bicycle. If you have neither donkey nor camel, you can use the bag on your bike or to keep your newspapers and magazines in – there are no limits to your imagination.

Because Kelims were and still are constant companions in everyday life, their patterns – however naive they may look – always carry a personal message and hold meaning for the weavers and their families.

Kelims are hand-woven and consist only of warp and weft threads, so they have no thick, upward-facing pile. Kelims show the same pattern on both sides. The pattern is created by the coloured weft threads that are woven into the warp threads. A new thread has to be used for every new colour in every row. The thread ends are woven in as well.

In Europe, Kelims from Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan and the Turkmen cultural region are particularly well known and popular. In fact, rugs are hand-woven in every country where rugs are knotted. This old Kelim bag is around 70 years old and a real collector's piece. The province of origin of this rug bag is Loristan.

Pattern

The straight stripes of this Kelim pouch give the pattern order and structure.

The surface of this Kelim bag has a mottled look. The shifts in tone and the light-and-dark shading of the pile yarn make the colours shimmer and keep the rug from showing dirt. These so-called colour shifts, known as abrash, give the rug a livelier look. The mottling occurs because the wool of this Kelim bag was hand-spun. During dyeing, the natural dyes are absorbed to differing degrees.

The overall impression is dominated by dark red and dark blue.

Condition

This Kelim bag has a story to tell. It was hand-woven around 1950. It has been thoroughly cleaned and is in good, though unrestored, condition. The rug has a hole 3 cm across. The pile is worn down in places. The edges are damaged in parts. The fringes could do with a repair. We haven't restored this Kelim bag because we feel it has a special charm just as it is. If you'd like us to, we're of course happy to restore it for you. Either way, this Kelim bag will give you pleasure for decades to come.

Material

Kelim bags are made from hand-woven Kelims. Once the weaving is done, the Kelims are sewn together into bags and – the finer bags in particular – embroidered by hand afterwards.

The Kelims that are made into Kelim bags consist only of warp and weft threads, so they have no thick, upright pile. Kelims show the same pattern on both sides and can therefore be used either way up. The pattern is created by the coloured weft threads that are woven into the warp threads.

The weft threads of this Kelim are made of hand-spun sheep's wool dyed with plant colours. Before the Kelim was woven, the sheep were first shorn and the wool was then cleaned, combed and finally spun. After spinning, the wool for the Kelim bags is dyed with natural colours in an elaborate process. Thanks to this traditional method, the pile of the Kelim bags feels dry and slightly furry. Wool was used for the warp threads.