Rug Collecting
by Kenneth Bisco
http://www.fesrug.com
As far as hobbies go, collecting rugs has a lot in its
favor. For a start it offers the bonus of helping you
furnish your home with interesting and decorative pieces
- a real bonus for any hobby. But how do you get started
with this hobby?
First you must begin to understand what is a collectable
rug and learn where to pick them up. Being a real expert
in this field can be the work of a whole life, just like
with any really great hobby, yet just a little knowledge is
very rewarding and can help you make the best of any cash
you spend.
There are some really old rugs still in existence. For
example a woven style rug in prime condition from the 5th
century BC turned up in Siberia in the early part of the
20th century. Also there are some authentic examples of
very old rugs from around in the world that can be
collected - but these will be very expensive to acquire.
If LA happens to be on your travels, you can see a great
example of a genuine antique rug at the LA County Museum of
Art. Here a huge rug by Maqsud of Kashan dating from the
16th century is on display. This is actually only half a
rug, the other half is displayed at in London at the
Victoria and Albert Museum.
The artistry and the weaving methods that Maqsud used are
found in the newly made rugs from Afghanistan or Iran
(Ancient Persia) that are woven traditionally. Not many
folk would consider a trip to these to countries at the
moment, but there are other rug-making countries that are
firmly on the tourist trail. Visiting places like Turkey
sets many people thinking about starting off their rug
collection.
It is easy to see why - anyone would imagine that making
your rug purchase where it was made could cut costs and
allow a much better choice. Perhaps there is truth in
this, yet the chances of getting it wrong are quite high.
The inexperienced buyer may well end up paying big bucks
for a rug that is not antique nor well-made. Poorly made
approximations to quality rugs are sold in many tourist
resorts - and of course the foreigner lacking knowledge is
sometimes targeted. The best way for anyone to start out
buying quality rugs is to make their purchase from a dealer
based in their own country. It is possible that you will
pay more for this, but you will have your consumer rights,
should there be a problem. Nor are you likely to be sold a
poor example because a United States-based dealer will need
to keep a great rep to stay in business.
There is another way to start off your carpet-collecting
hobby, and that is to buy examples because you like them.
In this way you cannot really lose because what matters is
that you enjoy looking at your purchase - it will bring you
joy no matter what. You could make a point of buying from
small designers and producers so that you are supporting
the arts and crafts and filling your home with nice, rare
pieces.
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