We source our antique rugs personally "on location". To see some of our current stock view our online galleries of antique Tibetan rugs and antique Xinjiang rugs. The guide below is a brief outline of what we look for (and what we think is important) when shopping for antique carpets,

left: an early 20th century khaden (Tibetan sitting carpet) with a dragon and phoenix design

below right: a small Tibetan sitting carpet used in a monastery, early 20th century

Diverse rug making traditions

China has more diverse rug making traditions than most other parts of the world, making learning to recognize all the different kinds and evaluate them something of a challenge. Chinese carpets include rugs with a distinctly Middle-Eastern flavor from Xinjiang, such as Khotan, Samarkand and Kirgiz types, contrasting with carpets with a more recognisably "Chinese" flavor from Ningxia (Ninghsia), Baotou in Inner Mongolia and the Beijing (Peking) region, and Tibetan rugs from the Tibetan Autonomous Region that have a character all of their own.

How to buy antique rugs

We choose our carpets based on criteria of beauty (first of all), condition, age and rarity. We look for rugs made from lustrous wool well-drawn designs with good color. Good wool improves with age whereas lesser kinds become dull and flat looking and do not last well.

Condition is important, and the fact is that a heavily used rug will usually wear out within 3 generations, so we look for pieces that have been saved as "heirloom" items and those rugs (particularly from Tibet and Xinjiang) that have been used as wall or door coverings and hence attracted relatively less wear than other kinds.

We prefer older (particularly 19th century) carpets, but we don't necessarily reject good carpets from the 20th century, particularly if they have been made with good wool to a high artistic standard.

Repairs

That said, nearly all old carpets have at least some repairs. Most of the antique carpets we sell have repaired selvedges (edges) since if a frayed edge is not fixed it can lead to further damage later. We accept minor patches and repiling, but avoid stocking carpets that have been extensively re-piled.

Cleaning

All our antique carpets are cleaned prior to sale. We don't recommend buying old carpets that have not been cleaned since a much heavier-duty facility is required to clean an antique carpet than that offered by carpet cleaning companies, and it is normal to combine cleaning and repair (since the cleaning process will expose any weaknesses or worn spots in a carpet).

Ages of old rugs

We are often asked how we estimate the ages of old carpets. In most cases we do this by examining the dyes used in them. Prior to the 1870s carpets were made with natural dyes which have a characteristic and soft palette, but after this date a succession of synthetic dyes became available. Expensive synthetics were used sparingly at first, but by the inter-war years they were widely used. Certain marker dyes (such as early synthetic reds and greens) can be readily recognised with some experience. The presence of true blacks is also a mark of later carpets since it is difficult to obtain an intense black with vegetable dyes.