Antique Gharabagh | 320 x 172 cm | Nr. Z-3111

Antique Gharabagh

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Armenia
Dimensions	320 cm x 172 cm (= 5.5 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes)
knots	240.000
Condition	pre-owned, but in very good condition (cleaned & restored)
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

This rug was hand-knotted in the Karabagh (or Gharabagh) region of Azerbaijan. What is typical of Gharabagh rugs is the floral motif on a dark ground, found widely across the Caucasus. Other geometric patterns are knotted here too, however.

This antique Gharabagh is a collector's piece. It is around 131 years old, and that alone makes it a truly special piece. Antique rugs like this Antique Gharabagh are as sought after as ever and are auctioned at top prices by renowned auction houses.

Material

The technique used to make the materials for the pile of this Antique Gharabagh is more than 200 years old. The wool was dyed with natural dyes and spun by hand. Dyeing with natural or plant dyes is more complicated, more expensive and more time-consuming than dyeing with chemical colours. For a luminous red, for instance, you need around one kilo of ground madder root as dye for every kilo of wool. For a strong yellow that is not too pale, you even need two kilograms of dyer's weld per kilo of wool. Spinning the wool is just as time- and labour-intensive. And fewer and fewer people still master spinning wool by hand.

But the effort is worth it: dyeing with natural colours allows the high-quality wool to keep its natural oil content. Wool that has been dyed with natural colours and spun by hand creates fascinating, shimmering 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 style.

The foundation (weft and warp threads) of this Antique Gharabagh is made of new wool.

Condition

You are not the first to take a liking to this Antique Gharabagh. It has had owners before you who valued and used it. The edges are partly damaged. The pile is worn in places. It was knotted around 131. We have cleaned it thoroughly and restored it with care. That is why – despite its age – it is in very good condition.