The Ancestry of an Oriental Rug

Heritage is a word commonly associated with Oriental rugs. Whenever someone is seeking an Oriental rug, they're looking for that "exotic" flavor--that irreplaceable look that can never be reciprocated. Have you ever wondered where the thematic nature of Oriental carpets comes from? There are of course many different kinds of Oriental rugs, but all share a name trait. This quality isn't something any object can simply inherit; rather, it's something that's built with a thorough amount of history behind itself. 

There's a number of moving parts when it comes to an Oriental rug. The foundation's crafting; the weaving of the rug's knots over month after month; there saturation of dye into every handwoven fiber; and, finally, its finish. This process has had iteration after iteration across a flurry of cultures as time has passed. 

With time's passing, one thing has remained constant: the purpose of an Oriental rug. When someone purchases an ordinary carpet, they're buying it to fill space and finish a room. While an Oriental rug accomplishes this, these reasons go far, far deeper. An Oriental rug isn't just an item to occupy an area--it's meant to venerate whatever space it's populating. Oriental rugs were initially created as highly stylized decorative pieces for royalty. Because of this primary directive, Oriental rugs have always been built to be the "centerpiece"--it can blend in, sync, or contrast with any area, but it will constantly be the "eye candy" your guests' eyes are drawn toward.

While Oriental carpets are no longer purely for royalty's possession, they still maintain the purpose of being a decorative addition meant to draw the eye and impress an audience. The history and work poured into an Oriental rug, regardless of its style, far outweighs the straightforward nature of a standard, machine made rug. Every Oriental rug has its own story, passed down from generation after generation that always leads back to its original founders. 

Let's look into the specific factors that play into an Oriental rug's antiquity:

• Style
• Each rug has its own style that's been a continuous hallmark of its composition. A rug's style is its main recognizable feature.
• Dye
• Saturation of dyes. How long has it been since the rug's creation? Were these Oriental rugs only made during a certain period?
• Time
• Above all else, the length at which a rug has been on the market and, in turn, existed decides its antiquity.

Seems straightforward, no? These aspects dictate the accumulated antiquity of a rug but don't dictate the rug's nature as an antique. This statement may seem confusing, so let's put it in layman's terms:

All Oriental rugs retain the ability to become an antique. They automatically hone an antiquity look about them, and continue to refine this over time. All Oriental rugs initially resemble antiques, and more-so they refine into an antiquity approach as time passes. This is why Oriental rugs are seen as an item of "heritage"--the materials of their composition allows them to last for centuries and emblazon into a true antique nature as time goes on.

Whether your word for it is heritage, generational, or antiquity, the antique nature of an Oriental rug is a constantly present aspect. You can find it in any form across a multitude of levels as an ever present trait.

As always, cheers, and until next time!