Tibetan rugs and the Chinese rug making, descend from ancient cultures where the lost art of hand knotting prevailed. The former are made from Tibetan highland sheep wool and the uniqueness of the rugs is that every step is hand made. These rugs are indispensable in a Tibetan household and are used for purposes as varied as flooring, wall hanging to horse saddles. Chinese rugs are made of wool too, but then they are hand carved to give beautiful, stylish and durable area rugs. Available in a wide variety of colors the rugs are often tufted.
With the occupying of Tibet by China, the Tibetan refugees fled to Nepal and India. In the process of their flight, the Tibetans took along with them the ancient tradition of hand knotting. At present Tibetan rug making is a thriving industry in both Nepal and India.
Tibetan Rug Finer Points
The Tibetan rug is usually a small, but dense area rug that comes in rich dark colors. The best rugs of this variety use completely handspun yarn and natural dyes together with a weave unique among Oriental rugs. The weaving method of the Tibetan rug involves an unbroken thread bound back and forth between the twisted threads and across a metal bar laid along the full breadth of the loom. At the end the wraps of wool are cut to form two strips of tufts.
The Tibetan rug has stereotyped designs varying according to the artist’s interpretation. The designs are:
- A geometric flower design
- The flayed tiger with a rich orange red on a beige background
- Checkerboard rugs
- Wangen rugs named after the village of its production
Used to accentuate both the traditional and modern décor the Tibetan rug is also an asset to be preserved.
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