9' x 12' Antique Serapi / Gorevan Pattern Whittall Anglo Persian Vintage Wool Wilton Rug.

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This offering is an exceptional quality wilton rug woven by the Whittall mills of Worcestor, Mass. in the mid to late 19teens.

History on the mill, their product and the condition report of this rug are below.

The Whittall's moved from Kidderminister, England in 1880 to Worcestor, Mass. where they opened their mill in a very small building resembling a school house.

They enjoyed most of their success from that time until the great depression and again for the decade following World War I. The mill and the quality of their goods stood the test of time and remained in business until the late 1950s. Many of their wonderful rugs remain in good condition today, after 75 to 100 years of use, a true testament to the pride and quality of the guilded age of the industrial revolution.

From the 1916 genuine Whittall catalog description of for the rug shown here:

"The central medallion is of rectilinear arrangement as are its boundaries defining the corner spaces, the latter lines being serrated.

The borders are in entire harmony with the rest of the design, the main stripe [see the cut of the Whittall Gorevan No. 374 as shown nn-- design patented] carrying, as do nearly all Herez rugs, the "Tortoise" border. This border is a most interesting one in which the figure of the Tortoise alternates with the Herati. In China the Tortoise stands for longevity and immortality while in India it represents the second incarnation of Vishnu where it supports the earth on its back.

The Herati is the famous design of the fish but to the uninitiated appears to be merely a rosette flanked on either side by a long curved leaf, supposed to resemble a fish but believed by many to have been evolved from the pear..."

All Whittall productions were made from imported wools -- because this particular kind of wool is the toughest, strongest and most resilient in the worlds and gives the greatest wear. Every detail of Whittall manufacture measures up to the highest standard.

An army of experts, wide-awake and up-to-date is required to make the raw wool into the finished fabric -- sorting and blending, scouring, drying, preparing, carding or combing, spinning, skeining, scouring again, dyeing, dye-testing, designing, card cutting, weaving, shearing, finishing -- the success of each process assured by the use of the finest machinery and the most efficient of help.

The WHITTALL trademark is woven into the back of the rug and is your gaurentee of the highest grade material and workmanship -- unequalled beauty and wear.

CONDITION: The pile is 100% worsted wool on a cotton foundation. The pile is good and consistent over the entire rug. There is a few tiny specks (causing a few tufts of missing wool on the top of the rug) of old moth damage. The original fringe is intact and full without any wear whatsoever.

CLEANING: This rug has been professionally hand cleaned by our conservation staff with a restorative thorough washing adhering to National Institute of Textiles and AIC (American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works) guidelines. No steam extraction methods or chemical detergents were used during the cleaning process. Ever step possible was taken to preserve the historic nature and conserve the rugs condition.