Camelhair Antique Art Carpets
The best antique rugs and carpets utilizing undyed camelhair are quite rare, as they represent a limited production of just a handful of the rug weaving villages and tribal encampments of the mountainous district of Northwest Persia. Prized camelhair yarn, often spun from the wool of the weaver's own camels yields an exceptionally soft and glowing earth tones, and like top quality sheep's wool, it is very strong and resilient to wear. Color striations, known as abrash, yield a surprisingly wide range of earth tone hues from blonde to wheat to walnut and even chocolate brown, greatly enhancing the aesthetic of this style of weaving.
The major regions of origin were Persian Kurdistan and Azerbaijan. The most notable pieces come from the towns of Bijar, Malayer, Serab and Bakshaish, and the surrounding villages. However, smaller remote villages and nomadic groups (especially Kurdish tribes people) also employed this rare material. Occasionally, only the nomenclature "Northwest Persian Village" is used to define a rug's provenance, as its origin can be pinpointed only to the large wilderness territory north of Bijar and south of Heriz.
Most of the Camelhair rugs found on today's market were woven circa 1910 to 1930, and are of considerably lower quality and less artistically inspired than the highly collectible pieces that are sometimes found usually dating from 1850 to 1900.
Camelhair weavings are typically found in area sizes ranging from 3ft x 5ft to 5ft x 7ft, and in runners, usually in sizes from 3ft x 9ft to 4ft x 16ft. Kelege (wide runner) sizes 4ft x 9ft to 6ft x 12ft. are occasionally seen. Infinitely fewer pieces are found in room sizes ranging between 7ft x 12ft to 10ft x 14ft; and extremely rarely found in the oversize format, where carpets up to 12ft x 18ft were very seldom woven.
Designs that are characteristic of this style include spaciously drawn geometric patterns, which emphasize the soft camel color tones and subtle abrashes (color variations). Often, a wide unadorned camel border frames the carpet, creating a "rug-within-a-rug" look. Classical patterns include the use of a subtle geometric latticework that provides an intriguing background for the more outstanding primary motifs. Centrally located diamond medallions or repeating rows of diamond forms were favored, sometimes incorporating tiny animal forms and human figures. Individual totemic designs were utilized as well.
Antique Serab Camelhairs are especially popular for their grace and quiet sophistication, as they often feature a serene display of repeating overscale diamond medallions against a delicate honeycomb latticework, and offer a restrained palette of primarily earth tone and deep blue hues. The best pieces are extremely finely crafted, with unusually fine knotting and delicate lines for village rugs.
Antique Malayer Camelhairs may appear very similar to Serabs to the less experienced eye. One identifying feature is that they often have a significantly wider palette than Serabs, with brighter rust and brick tones, and sometimes yellows and greens. They usually exude a lively, joyous ambiance. Close inspection shows that Malayers often have a somewhat heavier weave than Serabs and are single-wefted, seen on the back of the rug as wider cotton bands between each row of knots.
Bijar Camelhairs often present grand visual presentations, with majestic medallions with broad anchor or rosette pendants extending at either end. Most often, the medallion will sit on a wide expanse of undyed camelhair or sheep's wool that is completely unadorned except for the texture created by a delicate abrash of color. Like all Bijars, they were woven on a sturdy wool foundation, creating a particularly heavy, incredibly durable fabric.
Top-level Bakshaish Camelhairs are the most rare, and the best pieces are incredibly prized. The most classical format is a grand, intentionally asymmetrical center medallion, resting on a diminutive camelhair field surrounded by broad cornerpieces containing either boteh or dragon motifs. Camelhair Bakshaishs offering spellbinding allover "Tree of Life" or "Garden of Paradise" motifs are also sometimes found, and are extremely treasured.
As commercialization of the rug weaving industry in Persia increased in the 1920's, with greater quantities of carpets being woven solely for export to the West, camelhair carpets, which were woven primarily for the weaver's own use, were phased out for styles more desirable in the European market. Thus, antique works of greater artistic integrity are seldom discovered on the market today.
Clearly, with the exceptional beauty of the finest antique Camelhair carpets and their very limited availability, the collectibility and investment potential of Camelhair rugs and carpets has increased substantially. When they arise at auction, they typically command extremely active bidding. Also, as contemporary and traditional decors such as Tuscan feature soft golds, earth tones and golden browns as central color themes, Camelhairs are often sought after by the finest interior designers. Whether one is a collector, a connoisseur of fine art or prefers simply to satisfy their refined decorative sensibilities, top-tier camelhair rugs and carpets will provide a lifetime's enjoyment and prove to be superb art investments.
The major regions of origin were Persian Kurdistan and Azerbaijan. The most notable pieces come from the towns of Bijar, Malayer, Serab and Bakshaish, and the surrounding villages. However, smaller remote villages and nomadic groups (especially Kurdish tribes people) also employed this rare material. Occasionally, only the nomenclature "Northwest Persian Village" is used to define a rug's provenance, as its origin can be pinpointed only to the large wilderness territory north of Bijar and south of Heriz.
Most of the Camelhair rugs found on today's market were woven circa 1910 to 1930, and are of considerably lower quality and less artistically inspired than the highly collectible pieces that are sometimes found usually dating from 1850 to 1900.
Camelhair weavings are typically found in area sizes ranging from 3ft x 5ft to 5ft x 7ft, and in runners, usually in sizes from 3ft x 9ft to 4ft x 16ft. Kelege (wide runner) sizes 4ft x 9ft to 6ft x 12ft. are occasionally seen. Infinitely fewer pieces are found in room sizes ranging between 7ft x 12ft to 10ft x 14ft; and extremely rarely found in the oversize format, where carpets up to 12ft x 18ft were very seldom woven.
Designs that are characteristic of this style include spaciously drawn geometric patterns, which emphasize the soft camel color tones and subtle abrashes (color variations). Often, a wide unadorned camel border frames the carpet, creating a "rug-within-a-rug" look. Classical patterns include the use of a subtle geometric latticework that provides an intriguing background for the more outstanding primary motifs. Centrally located diamond medallions or repeating rows of diamond forms were favored, sometimes incorporating tiny animal forms and human figures. Individual totemic designs were utilized as well.
Antique Serab Camelhairs are especially popular for their grace and quiet sophistication, as they often feature a serene display of repeating overscale diamond medallions against a delicate honeycomb latticework, and offer a restrained palette of primarily earth tone and deep blue hues. The best pieces are extremely finely crafted, with unusually fine knotting and delicate lines for village rugs.
Antique Malayer Camelhairs may appear very similar to Serabs to the less experienced eye. One identifying feature is that they often have a significantly wider palette than Serabs, with brighter rust and brick tones, and sometimes yellows and greens. They usually exude a lively, joyous ambiance. Close inspection shows that Malayers often have a somewhat heavier weave than Serabs and are single-wefted, seen on the back of the rug as wider cotton bands between each row of knots.
Bijar Camelhairs often present grand visual presentations, with majestic medallions with broad anchor or rosette pendants extending at either end. Most often, the medallion will sit on a wide expanse of undyed camelhair or sheep's wool that is completely unadorned except for the texture created by a delicate abrash of color. Like all Bijars, they were woven on a sturdy wool foundation, creating a particularly heavy, incredibly durable fabric.
Top-level Bakshaish Camelhairs are the most rare, and the best pieces are incredibly prized. The most classical format is a grand, intentionally asymmetrical center medallion, resting on a diminutive camelhair field surrounded by broad cornerpieces containing either boteh or dragon motifs. Camelhair Bakshaishs offering spellbinding allover "Tree of Life" or "Garden of Paradise" motifs are also sometimes found, and are extremely treasured.
As commercialization of the rug weaving industry in Persia increased in the 1920's, with greater quantities of carpets being woven solely for export to the West, camelhair carpets, which were woven primarily for the weaver's own use, were phased out for styles more desirable in the European market. Thus, antique works of greater artistic integrity are seldom discovered on the market today.
Clearly, with the exceptional beauty of the finest antique Camelhair carpets and their very limited availability, the collectibility and investment potential of Camelhair rugs and carpets has increased substantially. When they arise at auction, they typically command extremely active bidding. Also, as contemporary and traditional decors such as Tuscan feature soft golds, earth tones and golden browns as central color themes, Camelhairs are often sought after by the finest interior designers. Whether one is a collector, a connoisseur of fine art or prefers simply to satisfy their refined decorative sensibilities, top-tier camelhair rugs and carpets will provide a lifetime's enjoyment and prove to be superb art investments.
