Resources for Area Rugs Collectors

Oriental Carpets and Rugs
A collection of articles about rug collecting! Topics cover advice and tips for collecting rugs, silk and wool rug distinctions, history of Persian rugs and a gallery of photos depicting the rich history of wool and cotton rugs, symmetry and patterns in rugs, a Persian rug gallery, images and text exploring designs by William Morris as well as Indian rug information.

All About Turkish Carpets and Rugs
This resource provides many pictures and topics and classifies rugs by type and region, e.g.,:Bergama, Antalya, Hereke, Ladik, Kars, Kayseri, Kozak, Kula, Kulluce Milas, Taspinar, Yahyali, and Yagcibedir. It covers the history of rug and kilim weaving, construction techniques and materials and dyes used, the "language" of the motifs used, and much more.

Paintings Inspired by Rugs and Textiles
When Thomas Stocker looks at a century-old woven rug from Turkey or Persia, he sees a painting. He translates the bold geometry and color from the language of the loom to the painter's canvas. While many works are literal interpretations of existing carpets, other works synthesize traditional expressions with themes in contemporary culture and aesthetics. The Massachusetts-based artist currently is featured in several Northeast exhibitions for his work in carpet and rug painting. He paints in all styles, from Americana to Navajo.

Oriental Rug Collecting Today
Learn what to look for, and what to watch for in this article about Oriental rug collecting in Antiques & Fine Art Magazine. Today's new rug buyer has a difficult task. Faced with a dwindling supply of top examples and rising prices, the new collector’s need for good education and guidance is greater than ever. Luckily, with the many scholarly books written in the last thirty years, an excellent bimonthly publication from London (Hali magazine, which contains top-notch articles and illustrations pertaining to the scholarship of rugs and textiles, as well as good reporting on current events in the rug world), and a group of knowledgeable dealers and established collectors who are more than willing to share their knowledge, there is hope for the new buyer, according to the writer.

Armenian Rugs Society
The Armenian Rugs Society is a non-profit organization founded in Washington D.C., in 1980, dedicated to the identification, preservation and promotion of knowledge of Armenian rugs. The Society holds symposiums and exhibitions in major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, Montreal, London and Geneva. The Society also maintains a data bank of hand-knotted Oriental rugs, carpets, kilims, bags and trappings bearing inscriptions woven in the Armenian alphabet. Anyone with a hand-woven rug with Armenian inscriptions is encouraged to contribute their photos to the data bank. The website have information about exhibitions, news, information on dating Armenian rugs, and the database mentioned above of rugs with Armenian inscriptions.