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Hi to all of you! I am asking your help to better identify this huge Karabagh Dragon Rug. I am told it is around 1900 from Karabagh area. I think one of its best feature are the many little dragons in the three medallions. Are the colours all natural? Thank you so much. Kind Regards.
That is a nice looking piece. I am not the authority on Armenian rugs or the Karabagh Dragon Rugs, but by all accounts, the design fits the description.
My following assumption on your piece is based off the pics only which of course is limited. I feel it could be newer than 1900 based on the bright colors, border motifs and motif fillers. If this is in your possession, conduct a bleed test and look at the fringes. From the pics, it’s hard to see if they line up with the warps or were added later. Judging by the yellow tag, it appears this piece made its way to a German or Austrian rug seller at some point. Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful piece whether it is over 100 years old or 50 years old.
Thank you so much for your kind reply and your assumptions about my rug! Then, do you think the colours are all natural? And about a bleed test how I have to proceed? I have never made one. The quality of the weave seems good to me. Honestly, I am not able to determine the age just at first sight...seems quite old. Thanks.
There are a few things you can do to determine if your rug is natural or synthetic, or a combination of both.
Research older books and online (with an open mind) about your rug. For example, a “Make up a name” rug may be known to continue using natural dye to the present day. Some areas of production continued to stay true to tradition. Or, your research may indicate that around 1930, all rugs of “make up your own name” only used synthetic dyes. This also helps with a dating starting point.
The pics you provided are a little confusing. In some pics I see a burnt umber/orange color while in others it looks red. A lot of synthetic dyes create a harsh bright tone.
Start at the pile and look at each color. Is the pile lighter on top and darker near the bottom or at the knot? If so, it probably is an indication of synthetic dyes. If all colors have this, probably all colors are synthetic or it could be a combination of natural and synthetic. Of course, it could be 100% natural too. A natural dye pile strand will be consistent in color from top to bottom. Have an eye loupe really helps for this type of inspection.
Things to look for;
Look for signs of old bleeding on the rug. Generally this is easier to see on the lighter colors. Synthetic dyes are known to bleed.
Put the rug face down and pull the rug up to fold it in half. The rug should show 1/2 of the back and 1/2 of the front. Are the colors nearly identical? A faded rug or a chemical washed rug would look much brighter on the back side. Natural dye rugs should be very similar in color minus the front possibly being a little dirty.
Is there Abrash? Generally a good indicator of natural dyes. I believe I see some abrash in the main border within the light blue area of your rug…near the center.
Bleed test. This could be a good indicator or either a poorly washed rug post production or a synthetic rug. Simply place a damp white cotton towel (not dripping wet) on a color and let it sit for a few hours to 24 hours. Place it in an area that has just one color as you don’t want it to bleed to lighter colors.
It’s very difficult to say if your rug is natural or synthetic just by looking at the pics. Looking at your first picture, it appears to me to be natural with possibly the exception of the of the color with the red hearts. Again, this is only an assumption from me based on the provided pictures.
In closing. I like the the rug and it would be a nice piece to own.
Thank you so much for your kind and long interesting reply! First, regarding the photos, I am sorry them are so poor. The photos have been taken from two different cameras. Then the photos in which the colours are closer to reality are the ones where there is the burnt orange colour! Not the red. It seems to me that the colours are consistent from the base to top of the pile. Yes, there is some abrash on the acqua colour border. Very interesting the bleed test you advised to do. So, it appears to me that the colours are natural. About the origin and design of the rug I believe is a Karabagh one with this dragons pattern. I confess I have bought the rug because of the dragons! I like less the colours combination, the palette, most of all the fantastic little dragons with their hooks. This rug is very huge 240 cm x 138 cm. I think is a quite fine rug, maybe with a darker choice of colours, for exemple the blue, though its balanced by the abundance of the pink. Thank you so much.
It seems to me that all the dyes on this rug are synthetic, and I would guess that this is Soviet-era workshop production from somewhere in the Caucasus.
Only wet chemical tests can say with confidence, but because synthetic indigo has been around since the late 19th century, and the color palette of your piece is nothing like any traditional Caucasian rugs - but is very typical of Soviet era workshop production, it seems to me this piece is likely 1930s-1970's (and most likely post World War II)and done with synthetics as all Soviet material was.
Only wet chemical tests can say with confidence, but because synthetic indigo has been around since the late 19th century, and the color palette of your piece is nothing like any traditional Caucasian rugs - but is very typical of Soviet era workshop production, it seems to me this piece is likely 1930s-1970's (and most likely post World War II)and done with synthetics as all Soviet material was.
Regards
Chuck
Chuk is right. ALL dyes are syntetic, and this is a typical color scheme of late 60 - 70'
Thank you for your honest assessment! I learn every time something new about rugs. You are all a knowledgable, fantastic and very helpful team of people! Thanks.
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