Nepal rug | 232 x 230 cm | Nr. Z-394

Nepal rug

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Nepal
Dimensions	232 cm x 230 cm (= 5.34 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) & hemp
knots	60.000
Condition	pre-owned and cleaned
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

Rugs have only been knotted in Nepal since 1959, following the flight of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans who accompanied him. From 1966 onwards, under the guidance of the committed Zurich importer Jo Iten-Maritz, these displaced people were taught to knot rugs in the Tibetan tradition using the customary patterns. Once the rug designs were adapted to contemporary Western taste, Nepal's knotting output rose considerably. The central trading hub is the capital, Kathmandu. Most of the production workshops are based here as well.

Nepal rugs are knotted using a special technique. During knotting, a kind of continuous knot is looped in a line around a rod, so that a horizontal row of loops is formed. Once the rod is completely covered with these loops, they are cut open from above in that section, so that the pile fans out and a velour surface is created. In the end, the knot takes on the form of a Persian knot. This rapid method is only possible, however, because Nepalese-Tibetan rugs are largely plain and barely patterned over wide areas.

Material

The pile of this Nepal rug is made of hemp and new wool. Hemp is obtained from the bast of the hemp plant, that is, the tissue beneath the bark. Hemp makes this rug particularly robust and hard-wearing. The hemp fibres feel coarse to the touch and are around three times as durable as cotton. Compared with cotton, however, the hemp plant can be grown in a more environmentally friendly way, which is another reason why it keeps gaining in popularity. Because they are kind to nature and so robust, hemp rugs are a favourite choice for heavily used living areas in particular.

In this Nepal rug the hemp fibres are combined with pure new wool, hand-spun and dyed with natural colours. The new wool takes the roughness out of the hemp and gives the rug a pleasant feel underfoot.

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

Condition

This Nepal rug has a history. It was knotted around 16. It has been thoroughly cleaned and is in good, unrestored condition. A few areas of the rug are slightly discoloured. We have not restored this Nepal rug, because we feel it has a special presence just as it is. If that is what you would like, we will of course happily restore it for you. Either way, this Nepal rug will give you pleasure for decades to come.