Antique Japanese Kelim | 265 x 117 cm | Nr. 16296

Antique Japanese Kelim

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Japan
Dimensions	265 cm x 117 cm (= 3.1 m²)
Construction	hand-woven
Material	Weft (pile): wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) Warp: cotton
Year of manufacture	1910
Condition	pre-owned
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

Kelims (also kilim, qilim) were traditionally made for the weavers' own use only. Nomads and farmers used and still use their Kelims as rugs on the floor, but also as tent or wall hangings, blankets, cushions or bags. Because Kelims were constant companions in daily life, their patterns – however naive they may appear – always carry a personal message and hold meaning for the weavers and their families.

In Europe, Kelims from Turkey, the Caucasus region, Iran, Afghanistan and the Turkmen cultural area are especially well known and popular. In fact, rugs are hand-woven in every country where rugs are knotted. This Kelim was hand-woven in Japan and has so far been used solely as a wall hanging. Japanese Kelims are extremely rare and have collector's value.

Kelims are always hand-woven and 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 woven into the warp threads.

This Antique Japanese Kelim is a collector's piece. It is around 116 years old, and that alone makes it a truly special piece. Antique rugs such as this Antique Japanese Kelim are still greatly sought after and fetch top prices at renowned auction houses.

Material

The technique used to make the materials for the pile of this Antique Japanese Kelim 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 example, you need around one kilo of ground madder root as dyestuff per kilo of wool. For a strong yellow that is not too pale, you even need two kilograms of the dyestuff dyer's weld per kilo of wool. Spinning the wool is time- and labour-intensive too. What is more, 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.

Condition

This antique Japanese Kelim has had admirers before you. It was hand-woven around 1910 and has given faithful service ever since. Because this piece spent years as a wall hanging and was therefore spared heavy wear, this Japanese Kelim has survived in excellent shape. Only the edges call for a little attention. All in all it is still in good condition and can give pleasure for decades to come. We have not restored this antique Japanese Kelim, because we feel it has a special presence exactly as it is. If you would like us to, we will of course gladly restore the rug for you.