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Carpets And Rugs

The carpets that were made in the Orient cen- turies ago cannot be duplicated today. The ancient Oriental rug maker was an artist, and his work had the same individual characteristics as the work of any true artist. Time did not enter into his calculations; he thought only of the achievement of his highest and best conceptions— a woven picture in rug or carpet form.

The first official support of Oriental carpet weaving in France was rendered in 1G08 by King Henry IV, who, recognizing the artistic talent and ability of Pierre Dupont, awarded him a title and provided space and equipment for his weavers in the Louvre.
Antique rugs are inimitable in their coloring. The secrets of the ancient dye maker were well guarded, and many of his practices disappeared with him. It is true that our modern methods give us all the colors, but we do not get the same color blends and effects nor the same soft aging qualities.
Carpets in Europe
From the Orient, carpets and rugs worked their way westward into Europe, and the art of weav- ing such fabrics, with the Saracens, filtered up through Spain and Italy.

Authorities differ by several hundred years in their estimate of the date when Oriental weaving was introduced into Europe. According to Duhamel du Monceau, there were Saracens who practiced carpet weaving in France at the time of Charles Martel, early in the eighth century.

In the archives of Paris there are documents which prove the existence of Saracen weavers in 1295. These dates are considerably earlier than generally conceded. Most authorities agree that Oriental carpet-weaving establishments were con- ducted in Spain and Italy by Saracens during the fourteenth century.

The looms and the practices employed at that time are well illustrated by drawings reproduced from an article written by Duhamel du Monceau in 1766 and published in the proceedings of the Academic Royale des Sciences. See Figures 1 to 3.