Buying authentic oriental rugs goes hand in hand with being able to identify oriental rug patterns. The specific designs on a rug are often used to determine how much the rug is worth as some designs take longer than others.
Weavers often use symbolism to tell stories with rugs, much like writers do when writing a book. You can learn how to read a rug just as you would a book by looking at what the symbols on your oriental rug mean.
Intricate Designs Are More Valuable
The design of a rug can tell you how valuable a rug is because certain design techniques are harder to achieve. Likewise, other designs are easy and do not require as much labor, which will make them less valuable.
There are several types of designs that will be worth less money. For example, geometric designs that include large blocks of color often require less time to make. Simplistic designs are known for being worth less money because they are made faster and require less skill when compared to intricate oriental designs.
Certain oriental rug designs are also known for being worth more. Oriental design that involves more colors and intricate designs will create rugs that are more valuable. Persian designs that consist of human designs or animal designs are also known for having a high price tag.
Understanding Oriental Rug Designs
Understanding how valuable a rug is based on the pattern is important, but there is much more to understanding oriental rug designs. Different designs are often referred to by different names. This can tell you how much a rug is worth as well as help you find the perfect rug to put in your living room.
Field Design
A carpet with this design has a large background and details are more spaced out. Imagine a field with a few flowers scattered throughout the field. These rugs may also have shapes, etc. instead of flowers.
For example, a rug that has a blue background with small circles scattered across the rug would be considered to have a field design. It’s important to note that an oriental rug design may consist of more than one type of design. Most patterns consist of a field design as well as at least one other design style.
Floral
Floral designs are a pattern that involves intricate floral patterns. It’s common for a rug with a field design to be mistaken for a floral rug. The key in telling the difference is how close together the flowers on the rug are.
Human And Animal Designs
These designs are easy to spot because they consist of humans or animals. You can trust that a rug is worth more if there are detailed patterns of either humans or animals.
Geometrical Designs
These designs often consist of shapes and patterns with shapes. Typically, these are straightforward designs. Often, you will see symmetrical designs that are aesthetically pleasing. You’ll find this vibrant design on both hand-knotted rugs as well as machine-manufactured rugs.
Symbolism Used in Rug Patterns
It’s common for those weaving the rug to incorporate symbolism into the rug pattern. This is frequently seen in Persian rugs. Colors, animals, shapes, and even numbers can all be used to depict a story or make the rug represent something special.
Numbers
Numbers in rug patterns are used to represent dates and times. These may be used to symbolize a historical event or special time, such as the time a child was born.
Colors
Colors are used both in the background of the rug and in the pattern to symbolize certain things. Brown often represents fertility while blue is reserved for power and solitude. Gold is used to depict power and wealth, much like it is in society. White shows purity while black is only used to show destruction and for mourning purposes.
Red is the color of many things. It is seen showing beauty and passion as well as happiness and faith. Some weavers use this color to show courage, and others use it to represent wealth. Looking at the rest of the story in the rug can tell you the meaning behind the color red.
Green is a color that is not used as frequently in oriental rug patterns because it is the holy color of Mohammed. When green is used in a rug, the rug should be placed in an area of the house with little or no traffic so that it is not walked on.
Animals
Animals are seen in many Persian rugs as well as other oriental rug patterns. Specific animals are used to show different things as well. A rooster will protect you from the evil eye while a parrot will help protect you from danger and represents freedom.
Other Symbolism Seen in Oriental Rug Patterns
Flowers and shapes are used frequently to help a weaver tell a story with a rug. For example, a star represents faith. Two hands on a rug mean that it is a prayer rug. Diamonds are used to represent women, but two diamonds interlocking means a man and a woman.
Understanding the various patterns used as well as the symbolism in oriental rug patterns can tell you a great deal about a rug. You can learn to understand how to determine the value of a rug and read the story of the rug.