Oriental Rugs: An Illustrated Lexicon of Motifs, Materials and Origins

A must-have reference to the highly confusing rug terminology used across the globe--from Morocco to Turkey, Persia and the Caucasus region to Central Asia, India and China!

This monumental reference work--coveted by collectors and scholars alike--remains to fill an important gap in the available literature. Lavishly illustrated with over 1000 photographs and drawings, it offers clear and precise definitions for the rug and textile terms used across a broad swath of the globe--from Morocco to Turkey, Persia, the Caucasus region, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China. It covers priceless museum-quality rugs as well as modern centers of production, and draws on classical scholarship as well as current terms used by producers and traders today. It focuses on the rich hand-knotting and hand-weaving traditions of the Near East and Central Asia, and also includes some Scandinavian and Native American weavings.

Rug terms are confusing; the same rug is often called by a baffling array of different names. Some of these refer to a specific geographic or ethnic origin, while others refer to a particular function, method of production or material. This book makes all these terms accessible and understandable, and aids researchers and collectors by precisely identifying each region and ethnic group and explaining the designs, motifs and materials typically used there. It highlights rugs of particular significance and explains technical terms in use by local producers and traders.

Peter F. Stone became fascinated with rug structure and began collecting rugs in 1975. Later, he came to appreciate the artistic and ethnographic aspects of oriental rugs. While serving as president of the Chicago Oriental Rug Society, he began to restore rugs in his collection. He learned oriental rug repair then used his professional skills as an instructional designer to write his first book, Oriental Rug Repair. Other books followed including Rugs of the Caucasus, The Oriental Rug Lexicon, and Tribal & Village Rugs.

The terminology used for oriental rugs is not systematic. In fact, it is extraordinarily confusing. Stone wrote this book to help collectors, trades people, students, researchers, and scholars navigate this terminology maze. There is a growing body of research in rug attribution, technical structures, ethnography, and history. By organizing this information into alphabetical entries, Stone has greatly increased its usefulness for those seeking information about specific rug traditions.