Bucks County PA Rug Store Brandon Oriental Rugs - www.BrandonRugs.com - Shares Wall Street Journal Article on Decoding Imagery in Oriental Rugs | PHOTOS

Decoding Imagery in Oriental Rugs

Centuries-old rugs from Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus are selling for as much as $9.6 million at auction, thanks to growing interest from new museums and collectors. Buyers say much of the fun comes in deciphering the symbols embedded in ancient weavers' designs. Here's a look at what some of the imagery portrays. – Kelly Crow  June 17, 2010 6:47 p.m. ET


1) As Islam spread across the ancient Near East, women from Istanbul to Samarkand began to weave portable prayer rugs. This rug made in the isolated mountains of Dagestan, near the Russian border, would have reminded its user where to place his hands while kneeling in prayer. A tiny brown comb symbol in the center might also represent the weaver. ERIN KUNKEL FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

2) Cypress trees often represented weavers' wishes for long lives and good fortune in the rugs like this one from the Turkic-speaking Afshar tribe from Afghanistan and Iran. This tree is green, but trees were often woven in candy colors like red and blue. ERIN KUNKEL FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

3) The nomadic tribes of the Caucasus often added birds to their rugs, but only the Kazaks in the Shirvan district near Tbilisi used this particular type of fan-tailed peacock to represent prosperity. Nearby are starbursts and an orb-like mandala that represent the heavens and the "wheel of life," respectively.  ERIN KUNKEL FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

4) This Gendje rug from the Caucauses is close to 200 years old, yet its color pops like new, thanks to natural dyes from indigo, saffron and the madder bush. The crenulated fence shape running along the lower edge is meant to protect the rug's sacred inner imagery from outside evils. "Z" shapes in the diagonal stripes to the upper left also echo the Zoroastrian symbol for the sun. ERIN KUNKEL FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

5) Birds like the ones in this late-18th century Laver from Iran were a popular motif in antique rugs because they symbolized freedom and flight from life's earthly toils. Laver rugs are also known for their ornate, floral symmetry. ERIN KUNKEL FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

6) Islam discouraged the use of human figures in its sacred art for fear of idolatry, but a woman in an A-line red skirt still pops up in this 150-year-old runner from Kurdish Bidjar. ERIN KUNKEL FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

7) As cultures and commerce overlapped, weavers often included symbols of their villages' latest technology. In the case of this Marasali, it's a Russian teapot, or samovar, shown in center. ERIN KUNKEL FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

8) One of the most common symbols in antique rugs is the boteh, a Persian word that means "cluster of leaves" and represented abundance, according to Jan David Winitz, a rug dealer in Oakland, Calif. Ancient weavers often torqued and stretched these rows of seed pods so they looked like flames or birds. Today's designers call it paisley. ERIN KUNKEL FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

http://on.wsj.com/1WdbZJt

Brandon Oriental Rugs - www.BrandonRugs.com - the company of oriental rug sales, cleaning, and repair in Bucks County, PA.

Here are the areas and communities we serve directly with all of our #rug-services (including #Rug-Search(tm); #rug-cleaning, #rug-repairs, #rug-appraisals, #room-measurements, #free-delivery, #interior-design-assistance, #rug-consignments, #rug-storage, #insurance-rug-damage-claims, #rug-shipment):

Bucks County, Pennsylvania: Doylestown, Jamison, Warminster, Warrington, Warwick, Washington Crossing, Upper Makefield, Newtown, Yardley, Langhorne, Richboro, Northhampton, Buckingham, Chalfont, Furlong, Lahaska (Peddlers Village), New Hope, Quakertown, Pipersville, Ottsville, Plunstead Township, Buckingham Township, Solebury, Upper Makefield Township, Lower Makefield Township, Bristol, Oxford Valley, Levittown, Morrisville, Wrightstown, Penns Purchase

Philadelphia and Suburbs in Southeast Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Malvern, Devon, Main Line, Chestnut Hill and Bryn Mawr

Mercer County, NJ and nearby communities: Princeton, Titusville, Hamilton, NJ and vicinity

Hunterdon County, NJ and nearby communities: Lambertville, Clinton, Stockton, Whitehouse Station, Flemington, Ringoes, Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Chester, Mendham

Chester, Montgomery and Delaware Counties in Pennsylvania: Valley Forge, King of Prussia, Upper and Lower Merion, Ft. Washington, Blue Bell, Lansdale, Abington, Rydal, Haverford, Huntingdon Valley, Abington, Newtown Square, Rydal, Paoli, Swarthmore, Conshohocken, Norristown, Harleysville, Blue Bell, Lower Gwynedd, Gwynedd Township, Montgomeryville, North Wales, West Point, Upper Frederick Township, Pennsburg, Greenlane, Perkiomonville, Souderton, Sellersville, Pottstown, Chester Springs, West Chester

Lehigh, Berks, Northhampton Counties in Pennsylvania: Easton, Bath, Bangor, Allentown, Bethlehem, Center Valley, Lower Saucon Township and the entire Lehigh Valley

The Poconos and Susquehanna Valley: Jim Thorpe, Mauch Chunk, Hawley, Scranton, Wilkes Barre, Pottsville, Stroudsberg, Delaware River Gap

New Horizons (Outside above Listed Areas)? Invite us to help you. We look forward to opportunities to explore new horizons. If we cannot help you with direct-to-door service, we are always pleased to answer questions and offer suggestions of value to you relative to your interest(s) in fine quality handmade rugs. Please give us a call if you need help.

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