Producing carpets in India – Goodweave feature
Goodweave’s Spring 2011 newsletter features a “Spotlight on India”, highlighting the efforts to fight illegal child labor in that country. All of our stock collections (and most of our carpets, period) are produced in India – by adult artisans, of course. Read the newsletter online here.
$10M antique Persian carpet sets new record at auction
A 17th-century carpet previously in the renowned collection of Martine Marie Pol, Comtesse de Béhague, set a new world record at auction last month. The de Behague carpet, made in the Kirman region of south Persia, was hammered down at Christie’s for £6.2m (about $10m USD), almost doubled the previous record set by the Pearl Carpet of Baroda at Sotheby’s last year. Journalist Charles Recknagel did a much better job with the backstory that I could, so I’ll refer you to his post on the Tea and Carpets blog. [E]ven as Christie’s evaluators widely publicized the carpet’s pedigree before the auction, they badly underestimated what price the carpet might command.…
Vintage Donegal carpet, "Editor’s Choice"
The Aesthete’s Lament featured a vintage Donegal carpet in its “Editor’s Choice” wish list of eclectic interiors items from the country house of Robert Harling, recently auctioned at Christies. This approximately 9′ x 12′ carpet exceeded the estimate but still came in at a ridiculously reasonable £1,250 (approx.$2,090), a fabulous value. When you see the carpet in its context, both in the auction catalog and as highlighted by the Editor’s Choice, the decorative potential of these period pieces is clearly recognizable. Check out the online flooring catalogue that flooring Sunshine Coast offer and see all the fantastic carpets and flooring options they have. Read the original post for details about…
Photos from our workshop
Here are some pictures from our workshop in India. (Please note the adult artisans!) The photos show some of the steps involved in the process of making a hand-knotted rug.
The art of the carpet
From the tents of nomads to the finest court ateliers of sultans, mughals, and kings, pile carpets have long symbolized wealth, rank, prestige and luxury. In the royal court workshops of the Ottoman, Persian, and Indian empires, the design and creation of carpets was the province of highly respected and skilled artisans. Carpets were not made for commercial sale, but were commissioned for palaces, as dowries, or as gifts for kings, queens, and foreign dignitaries. Inspired by these court ateliers, the King of France established carpet production for his own use, first at the Louvre and later at the Savonnerie. After the exclusive rights of the royal family were rescinded,…