Vintage Turkish Tulu Carpet Influenced by 20th Century American Rag Rugs

Colorful large-size Contemporary Turkish carpet handmade woven with wool used in 20th-century Turkish Tulu shag rugs. The rug consists of an Abstract borderless design on a striated ...

Mid-20th century red field Turkish runner with an all-over repetitive medallion design. Measures: 2'1” x 11'9”.

Mid-20th century red field Turkish runner with an all over repetitive flower design. Measures: 1'9'' x 9'10''.

A rare matching set of rag rug runners containing a plaid motif on a straw colored ground from the mid-20th century Measuring: 3'2" x 14'5" & 3'2" x ...

Midcentury Turkish Tulu Shag rug. Powder blue field, ivory, black, aqua blue accents. Measures: 4'11" x 7'.

Mid-20th Century Turkish Tulu Rug circa 20th century. Measures: 4'6" x 5'10".  

A vintage American rag rug handmade during the mid-20th century. Measures: 3' 6" x 5' 8" North American rugs & carpets: North American has never developed a unified handmade rug tradition, but rather it is the unassimilated confluence of several. From Mexico comes the Saltillo serape wearing blanket, and this stimulates the Navajo and Rio Grande (Colorado) weavers, first as blankets, then as rugs. The thrifty habits of rural America gave rise to the New England (and Western Canadian) hooked rug types, while the farmers of the Midwest recycled their disused garments into braided and rag rugs. The closest to a real ongoing tradition are the Southwestern (New Mexican) Navajo rugs. By the 1860s the native tribes were weaving wearing blankets with wool from the Spanish churro sheep. These were in stripe design, with combinations of undyed wool with cochineal reds and indigo blues. The multi-phase “Chief’s Blankets” from the 1870s-80s are a natural outgrowth of these. Machine spun red wool from Germantown in Pennsylvania appeared in the 1870s with a bright red hitherto unobtainable. The weavers loved it and blankets appeared with bright reds, generally aniline, in “eye dazzler” patterns. Anglo traders established posts beginning in the 1890s. Navajo weavings were perfect accompaniments not only for Western-themed decors, but for East Coast apartments, only they needed to be thicker and more rug like to be truly accepted. The traders brought Caucasian and Turkish village rugs to copy, borders were introduced and central medallions devised. The weavers continued to create on vertical looms, with a shared warp (dovetailing) weft structure to avoid slits. The warps were cotton string. Sizes were generally scatters, but occasionally a special order came in, hence antique room size Navajos are very rare and very pricey. Distinct village/pueblo styles developed. Among the best are: Two Grey Hills (considered the tightest, closest of all Navajo weaving), Crystal Springs, and Ganado. Certain new patterns such as the “Storm pattern” with jagged lightning bolts emanating from a dark cloud developed. The Yei rug with dancing Kachina doll figures became popular. The palette has been expanded beyond the classic grey, tan, dark brown, and cream natural wool combination to again include reds, blues, and greens. Navajo pictorials include American flags, trains, and automobiles, domestic and local scenes and scenery. Individual artist weavers now command gallery shows and correspondingly elevated prices. There are several levels of Navajo work, and antique and vintage scatters with simple flat designs, medium weaves, and tritonal palettes, and in good floor worthy condition are still available reasonably. The Native American weaving tradition extends into Colorado with two-piece scatters with sharp sawtooth medallions and striped end borders, with wool tapestry weave on cotton warps. These descend from the Saltillo blankets...

A wonderful early 20th century Navajo woven with a bold large-scale geometric pattern across the field surrounded by a complex border of wave...

A vintage American folk rag rug in accent rug format handmade during the mid-20th century. Measures: 5' 10" x 8' 7".

A bold mid-20th century Navajo rug with an all-over diamond pattern woven in black, white, and brown wool surrounded by a wide crimson, white, and gray stepped border.

A vintage American Rag rug in throw/scatter size handmade during the mid-20th century. Measures: 3' 3" x 6' 5".

Mid 20th Century American Rag Rug ( 3' x 61'6" - 90 x 1875 )