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Shown here is the finest "anglo-persian" quality Whittall wilton rug museum edition carpet dating from 1913-1916. The Whittall's moved from England in 1880 to Worcestor, Mass. where they opened their mill in a very small building resembling a school house.
This is the finest quality wilton rug made. As was written in a 1913 Whittall catalog, "the anglo-persian is the most beautiful domestic rugs manufactured today. It is as closely woven as a Persian, has a silky, mirror-like sheen and feels like velvet under foot. It is made in Oriental designs and its soft colourings sink harmoniously into their surroundings." The quality of these has been compared to the few and finest Tabriz, Feraghan and early Sarouke carpets woven in the 1880s to the turn of the century 1900. No "oriental carpets" since this era have been able to equal or maintain the exquisit workmanship of the artisans that created these pieces. Whittall, which was founded in 1880 in Worcestor, Mass. carried the tradition of this workmanship, the finest and most dense weave possible, and the highest quality German dyes from the day he opened his mill till the very day it closed in 1956. Like the few earlier orientals, Whittall's classics grace the floors of the finest homes and hang in museums* to this very day. *Several Whittall rugs can be seen at the Weisburg Inn National Historic Site and the Smithsonia Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C.
"Kashan, a city of 30,000 inhabitants, is the centre of the Persian silk rug industry and some authorities contend that it was here the famous Ardebil Mosque Carpet The Design of the Kashan rug of this type was taken from a plate in the Museum of Art and Industry in Vienna, is owned by the Kunstgewerbe Museum in Berlin and is said to have been made in the second half of the 16th century.
There are eight borders - all floral - the widest one made up of the central motifs of the medallions alternating with other design taken from the centre of the rug. The soft rich colorings in which this rug is made, with its wealth of detail and its lovely borders give it the appearance of a jewelled mosaic." All Whittall productions were made from imported wools -- because this particular kind of wool is the toughest, strongest 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: This rug is in exceptional condition with a full and consistent pile over the entire rug. There are no worn, low, or threadbare areas to be found anywhere. The rug is free of stains and odors (animal or otherwise). The foundation is pliable and free of dry rot, mold or mildew. There are a few tiny specks of old moth damage along the side as shown in the close ups above. As shown, there is some wear and loss to the fringe on both ends of the rug. This can be left as is, or it can be replaced with a genuine wilton knotted fringe -- please email for further information. CLEANING: This rug has been professionally hand cleaned by our own conservation team with a restorative thorough washing adhering to National Institute of Textiles and AIC We do not use ANY optical enhancers of any kind (natural or chemical). Optical enhancers damage and pull dye to the surface of the rug's fibres, slowly stripping colour and character from the wool as the rug continues to age. Beware of descriptions claiming use of such materials and harsh cleaning methods to "brighten, add a sheen, or antique wash" the rugs -- all these methods deteriorate and damage these wonderful vintage and antique pieces beyond repair. APPRAISAL Although much was written in the late 19th century and early 20th century about jacquard wilton rugs, there is almost no recent reference in any literature, with one exception. In "The illustrated buyer's guide to Oriental carpets" by J.R. Azizollahoff, copywrite 2002, page 100, displays several Whittall's wilton rugs. The rugs shown are of identical quality (the famous "anglo-persian" Whittall wilton weave) as the rug being offered here. It should be noted, our offering is in far superior condition to the poor condition pieces detailed in Azizollahoff's book.
The 9' x 12' Samarkand Wilton in the book shows "slight wear, uneven fading, small stains," and was valued at $6,000.00. Another 9' x 12' Bird Of Paradise piece shown in far better condition was valued at $7,500.00. As stated above, we offer the rug here at the same price we sell to the expensive New York decorator shops and showrooms.
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The following is a description as it appeared in Whittall's 1916 documentation on this beautiful rug.
and most resilient in the worlds and gives the greatest wear. Every detail of Whittall manufacture measures up to the highest standard.
(American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works) guidelines. The protein and lanolin based soap conditions the natural fibres in the rug and returns the original lustrous character and richness of colour to the wool. 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.
