Kashmir Rug | 203 x 124 cm | Nr. 18422

Kashmir Rug

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Kashmir
Dimensions	203 cm x 124 cm (= 2.52 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool with mercerised cotton Weft & Warp: cotton
knots	420.000
Year of manufacture	1980
Condition	pre-owned, but in very good condition (cleaned & restored)
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

The mountainous land of Kashmir in the Himalayas is divided: one third belongs to Pakistan as a province, while the other two thirds form the union state of "Jammu and Kashmir", which is part of India. The population of the larger union state is predominantly Muslim and seeks independence. The hand-knotted rugs come exclusively from the Indian part of Kashmir and are knotted mainly in the provincial capital Srinagar and the surrounding area. Kashmir's silk rugs are famous, and they are usually made on a cotton foundation.

The colours of Kashmir rugs are rather restrained, and the patterns are influenced by traditional Persian designs. This goes back a long way, as the Mughal emperors (1526-1857) once brought Persian rug knotters to their court in India. That is why people also speak of the Indo-Persian style. Another legend, however, has it that in 1398 the tribute-paying Sultan of Kashmir had to send his son as a hostage to Timur Lenk (Tamerlane) in Samarkand. There the young prince came to know the craft of knotting and, on his return, introduced it in Kashmir together with knotters from Samarkand.

Material

The pile of this Kashmir rug was hand-knotted from high-quality new wool. Individual details of the pattern are further highlighted by the sheen of mercerised cotton.
New wool is obtained by shearing live sheep. New wool is a renewable, natural raw material with a number of impressive qualities: thanks to the wool's natural grease content, the surface repels droplets of water and is therefore naturally proofed against dirt. Wool also offers excellent thermal insulation, helps regulate the indoor climate and dampens sound.
Cotton consists of lustrous fibres filled with cell sap. When this dries after the harvest, the surface of the fibre curls and loses its sheen through the refraction of light that results. In the middle of the 19th century, John Mercer invented the mercerisation process named after him. In the course of mercerisation, the cotton is held under tension in cold, concentrated caustic soda and takes on a new, higher-grade fibre structure. Mercerised cotton has shortened fibres with a round cross-section. The refined fabric no longer shrinks and is a pleasure for its high dimensional stability. The altered refraction of light gives it a silky sheen. Mercerised cotton also takes up dye more readily and is considerably more tear-resistant than the original material. Because mercerisation is laborious and costly, only high-quality cotton fibres are given this finish. Owing to the silky sheen of the yarn, mercerised cotton is, like viscose, often referred to as "artificial silk". The colloquial term "artificial silk" is, however, not permitted under the German Textile Labelling Act (Textilkennzeichnungsgesetz, TKG).

The weft and warp threads of this Kashmir rug are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic, which makes it especially well suited to a hard-wearing foundation weave.

Condition

This Kashmir rug has had admirers before you. It was knotted around 1980. We have cleaned it thoroughly and restored it with care. It is therefore – despite its age – in very good condition.