What is an antique carpet?

In terms of price, old carpets are works of art that increase in price every year. The number of these carpets, which were woven about 100 years ago, is decreasing and they are rarely produced with the same quality as before. Antique carpets have many fans among collectors and interior designers. These carpets can be found in different countries of the world such as Iran, China, Caucasus, each of which has its own characteristics. The oldest hand-woven carpet in the world is the Pazyryk carpet, which was found in Siberia in 1949. One of the antique Iranian carpets kept in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London is a carpet woven in Ardabil. Although thousands of carpets have been woven in imitation of the Ardabil carpet, none of them are as valuable as the original carpet.

Also read:

What Do You Know about the World’s First Carpet, Pazyryk?

You may think that antique carpets are only suitable for classic decoration, but we must say that these carpets create amazing beauty even in minimal and modern decorations. In the following, we will give some tips that will make you more familiar with antique carpets and their features. The distinctive feature of the antique carpet is its age, if we classify the carpets according to their age, it will be as follows:

• Handmade carpets that are between 30 and 50 years old, these carpets are slightly different from new carpets in terms of price.
• Carpets that are 50 to 100 years old, these carpets are considered vintage.
• Carpets that are 100 years old or more, which are considered antique.

        Persian antique-carpet in the interior design of a house in London

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Vintage Carpet and Its Types

Features of antique carpet

In addition to the age of a carpet, there are other parameters that help you identify an antique carpet. Most carpets that are more than 100 years old are considered antique, but not all of these carpets have the same value. Other characteristics of the antique carpet are:

• The range of colors that can be seen in antique carpets is limited, for example, green, red, brown, cream colors are among the colors that are abundantly found in antique carpets.
• Antique carpet is definitely a handmade carpet, no matter how old a machine carpet is, it cannot be valuable!
• These exquisite carpets, which have become antique carpets over time, are limited and unique, no two antique carpets are the same.
• These carpets have successfully stood the test of time because they are very durable, so they are valuable.
  

                  The exquisite Kashan carpet which is kept in London

• The antique carpets of each region are largely influenced by the culture of the region and its ethnicity.
• Most of the antique carpets are woven from handspun wool fibers, which gives great value to the carpets.
• The colors used in the antique carpet are natural and warm colors that are not too shiny.

How to take care of antique carpet?

• Sweeping: You may be afraid to sweep your antique carpet, but it is necessary to do this periodically because the entry of dust and pollution between the piles of the carpet causes the carpet to rot. But our advice is to spread these exquisite carpets in a low-traffic area so that there is less need to sweep. Another important point is, like any other hand-woven carpet, rotate your old carpets every few years so that all areas of the carpet can withstand traffic equally.
• Washing the carpet: Many antique carpets, especially those kept in museums, can no longer be washed, so be very careful about maintaining these exquisite carpets. But if your antique carpet is not rotten, you can refer to a reliable carpet cleaner to wash it. Carpet experts do not recommend the use of chemical cleaners for antique carpets, because if you use these materials, irreparable damage will be done to your carpet.
• Humidity: Like any other handmade carpet, the antique carpet should not be exposed to moisture and should be spread in a dry environment with proper ventilation.
• Sunshine: As much as possible, avoid placing the antique carpet in direct sunlight to preserve the texture of the carpet.
  

                     This pictorial Kerman rug is kept in London

Antique carpet price

Probably, the carpet is one of the only items in the house, the more time it is woven and used, the more its price increases. For this reason, the antique carpet has a high value due to these features, and its price increases every year as it gets older. Pricing on an antique carpet is like pricing on a Mona Lisa painting! The price of this  carpet will be different depending on the texture of your antique carpet, the pattern and color of the carpet, whether it is wool or silk and the level of health of the carpet. But the price of buying an antique carpet is definitely higher than new carpets. Recently, an antique Iranian carpet belonging to the Safavid period was sold at a competitive price of 33.7 million dollars at the Sotheby’s auction in New York City, so that one of the other works of art can be added to the collection of a rich person.

        The most expensive Kerman carpet in the world  with sickle flowers!

Important points when buying an antique carpet

• Check the back of the carpet:

One of the things you should do to check the health of a handmade carpet is to check the back of the carpet. Antique carpets that have not been repaired are very valuable. But consider that carpets that are more than 100 years old are likely to have minor repairs that must be done with utmost care. These minor repairs do not reduce the value of the antique carpet, but if the repair area of the carpet is large, you should be careful in buying it.

• Carpet pile and warps:

A carpet that is very old and has been used is likely to have short piles. Of course, this abrasion should be uniform in all parts of the carpet. Before buying, check the roots of the carpet to see if they are in good condition or have been repaired before.

• Listening to the sound of the carpet:

When buying an antique carpet, fold it if you hear an unusual sound, it means that the warp and weft of the carpet is seriously damaged and rotten.

          Bakhtiari rug which is commissioned by Agha Ahmad Khan(1908-CE)

• Check the color of the carpet:

Natural colors are used in old carpets, and these colors maintain their quality over time and give more shine to the carpet, but chemical colors lose their quality over time.

In addition to the above mentioned points, you should pay attention to other important points when buying an antique carpet, such as the city where the carpet was woven, the size and the fit of its design with the home decoration. These carpets are of high value and should be purchased from a reliable seller.

The VernaCarpets online store, with many years of experience, offers a variety of antique carpets from Isfahan carpets, Tabriz carpets, Malayer carpets, etc.