Persian Bijar Carpet, ca. 1900
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GUEST:
I got this piece through an inheritance from my grandfather. He acquired it back in the early part of the 1900s.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm. And is it your understanding that the piece was new at that time?
GUEST:
I don't really know if it was or not. I understand it was a gift.
APPRAISER:
Okay, and you're currently using it on the floor in your home?
GUEST:
We have it in the living room in our house.
APPRAISER:
Okay, what you have here is a Persian Bijar carpet, which comes from the northern section of Persia. There are a few methods that we use to date items like this. The earlier Bijars are woven on woolen foundations, as this one has. The later ones are on cotton. And also some of the colors and dyes used are indicative of aniline dyes, which would also put the dating of this rug around 1900. So your grandfather probably did obtain this as a new rug. Condition-wise, you have a few worn areas. You have this straight area of wear across the center of the rug, which could be the result of a specific traffic pattern or even a raised floorboard. Very good materials used, thick structure, and I think you could expect to get between $5,000 and $7,000 for it in an auction situation.
GUEST:
Okay, well, thank you very much.
APPRAISER:
You're very welcome, thanks for bringing it in.
GUEST:
Thank you.
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