When a rug subjected to a few generations of life, it would loss its vibrant colours. Its design becomes less prominent and its wraps and wefts exposing to the naked eyes. The dilemma therefore would be, whether any rug with such sorry state is worth a restoration and with what cost.
An old oriental handmade rug can lose its charm and splendid look due to years of negligence. That is why, restoring antique carpets can be rewarding in both investment and pleasure. However, it is important to remember that restoring rare carpets, in particular those made in city workshops, is not always easy and at times can be extremely costly and time consuming. Finding a professional repairer who can restore unique and fine old pieces is no easy task either. The notion is that almost majority of them chose this career path more for money than passion. Especially with finer handmade rugs, it is difficult to manage high expectations. Nevertheless, by using identical wools or silks materials, the correct cleaning and washing process and a skilful and passionate professional, it is possible to bring about a dull and worn rug back to its past glory.
As a Prime example we refer to this beautiful and charming antique Persian silk and wool Qum carpetthat had been forgotten for many years! Even though it seemed not in the best condition, its beauty, detailed field and eye-catching colours were enough to convince any carpet lover of its glorious past.
Years of negligence: It is easy to ignore a plea of vibrant and fine rug by subjecting it to various unwarranted damages. An unfair mis-treatment such as; staining, soiling, wear and losing colours as result of too much light highlighted on images below were only few mentioned in which this rug was subjected to.
Picture 1 shows the rug with its dull and faded colours as well as the areas of staining. Picture 2 shows the corner of the rug where areas of excessive wear in the floral motifs were present. The outer ends of the fringes were also worn away, with frayed ends and stress. Picture 3 shows the centre of rug where the main central medallion lies. Again, excessive areas of fraying and wear can be seen, with lines of threads popping out of the foundation due to scratching. The beautiful, rich, pink colours are faded. Picture 4 shows the worn and tatty fringes, which were helped in tact by fabric tape, and was sewn onto the back of the rug.Restoration headaches: Before we commit to restoring a rug with many defects, we need to ask ourselves two simple questions:
a- Is it worth the headache?
b- Is it affordable?
Repairing a vintage rug, even an antique one, isn’t always worthwhile. The aim should be try not to be a saviour of all neglected rugs. Nor it is possible to spend vast amounts of money to return every rug to its original condition, so it is crucial to judge every rug on its merits.
After restoration: The below images taken after restoration from the identical damaged areas, do show an incredible transformation. Return of vibrant colours, removal of stains, re-piling of areas of wear and fringes. This carpet no longer is ashamed of its dull looks and is now proudly showing off its splendid present in arrays of colours.
Picture 5 shows the exact same corner of the rug as Picture 2. The transformation from excessive wear into localised wear becomes evident. Also, by repairing the frayed ends, the carpet has a newer and more vibrant look. Picture 6 shows the centre of the rug. The beautiful rich pink colours have returned with silk motifs showing off their white, sparkling accents. Picture 7 shows incredible work done to eradicate visible defects. The project was centred on this. Picture 8 shows the back of the carpet, where the fringes were re-woven and the tape was removed to give the carpet a more alluring look.Final image after complete restoration.
Conclusion: Without a shadow of a doubt, restoring fine antique oriental carpet like above example is definitely worth considering. However, it is important to keep in mind that sometimes, such complex and time consuming novelty like this would not go as planned, due to many factors explained above. But one thing is for sure, and that is with good care and responsible owners, this carpet and others like it can be proudly serve the next few generations with delight.
