MOSUL
Synonyms.—Mousoul, Moussoul.
Why So Named.—After the town of that name in Mesopotamia, where they are marketed. They are made by the Kurds who inhabit the mountainous districts north of Mosul around Lake Van.
Knot.—Ghiordes. Number vertically six to eight; number horizontally six to ten; number to square inch thirty-six to eighty.
Warp.—Usually coarse, dark wool or goats' hair. Occasionally cotton.
Woof.—Usually coarse, dyed wool.
Nap.—Excellent, long, lustrous wool, camels' or goats' hair.
Weave.—Some closely and tightly woven, but the majority are rather loosely woven.
Sides.—Corded edges overcast with dark wool. Frequently overcast with wool of different colors after the Kurdish fashion. Occasionally selvaged.
Ends.—At each end a narrow selvage with one or more stripes of colored yarn running through, usually red and blue. As a rule one of these selvages is turned over and hemmed, while the other is finished with braided warp threads which are knotted at the ends.
Border.—From three to six border stripes, usually three, which are separated by lines of dark blue or brown. Frequently there is considerable camels' hair in the border. The Saraband pattern is sometimes copied.
Prevailing Colors.—Usually dark, rich blues, yellows, greens, reds, and browns. The browns and yellows predominate as a rule. These colors are shaded as only the Kurds know how.
MOSUL RUG
Size 4' × 7'2"
PROPERTY OF MRS. LIEBER WHITTIC
Dyes.—As a rule excellent except in a small proportion of the modern pieces.
Designs.—A multitude of designs which are usually rather striking in character. Probably patterned more after the Persian designs than any others. The Saraband and the Herati patterns are frequently used. Medallions filled with the pear or other small designs.
Sizes.—Usually three to four by four to seven feet, runners from two to four by eight to twenty feet. Saddle bags.
Prices.—Among the best moderate priced rugs. From $1.00 to $2.00 per square foot.
Remarks.—Best in the market for very hard service. Quite thick and heavy and generally lie well.
THE EXAMPLE ILLUSTRATED
Owner's Description.—This type of rug comes from the largest rug-producing centre of Eastern Asia Minor. The specimen shown illustrates the Mosul at its best, as to closeness of weave, length of pile, symmetry of design and richness of coloring.
The superb lustre of the wool, comparable only to a silk plush, and the great softness of the long pile—features which have made famous the rugs from this region—are here conspicuous.
In shape and design also the specimen is typical. The field is composed of diamond-shaped sections outlined in black and decorated with the conventionalized tarantula. By placing these sections diagonally a latticed effect is produced.
The usual border plan of three stripes, two narrow ones separated by a broader, appears here. The narrow stripes are in the familiar flower-and-vine design, the broad stripe in a formal arrangement of rosette and hour-glass, all conforming to the geometrical and rectangular lines of Turkish design.
The color scheme of the piece is remarkable for its harmony. The dominant color is wine, introduced in many beautifully blended shades, and relieved with correspondingly soft tones of old blue and green, the whole illuminated with well-arranged bands of white.
SHIRVAN RUG
Size 7'3" × 4'
FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE AUTHOR
Knot: Ghiordes. Seven to the inch horizontally and nine vertically, making sixty-three to the square inch.
A splendid specimen of Caucasian weaving, being a perfect gem for color, quality and sheen, although in design it differs somewhat from the ordinary Shirvan.
The field is covered with octagons each of which contains an eight-petaled flower, no two of which are alike in color. Upon close inspection it is noticeable that the ends of some of the petals are finished in a color entirely different from that of the rest of the petal.
Between the octagons are strewn various floral, pear and goat forms and the weaver has indulged in the Kurdish trick of shading the background, which shows no less than three distinct shades of green.
The main border stripe consists of a meandering vine with a leaf form at each turn and on each side of this is a narrow stripe carrying the Greek meander, the outer one on a field of yellow and the inner one on a field of red.
This is a very old piece with dyes equal to those found in any part of the Orient, even in olden times, and although the colors are rather pronounced they are very pleasing to the eye.
(See page [265])
THE CAUCASIAN CLASSIFICATION
Caucasia and Transcaucasia form an isthmus connecting Europe and Asia. It is bounded on the west by the Black Sea and on the east by the Caspian Sea and it has an area of about 166,500 square miles, with a population of nearly ten million. It was once Persian territory, but was acquired by Russia in 1813. Nowhere in the world is there such a mixture of races and languages, the number of dialects being estimated at about seventy. The carpets of the Caucasians are in coloring and in design identical with those of Ancient Assyria and Babylon and they have preserved their original characteristics, but alas, not their original dyes, for here too the coal-tar products have been well received by these wild mountaineers.
The Caucasian rugs are characterized by their prominent borders and their purely geometrical patterns with sharp outlines. Both warp and woof are usually of wool excepting in some of the Kabistans and Shirvans and, as a rule, the ends are finished with loose or braided warp threads. The predominating colors are the blues and yellows. They are seldom made in large sizes. Some of the most characteristic designs are the eight-pointed star of the Medes, the six-pointed star of the Mohammedans, the triangle, the diamond, the latch hook, the barber-pole stripe, the tarantula, the swastika, the reciprocal trefoil, the link-in-lozenge and the tree of life.