Rugs Villager

How the Europeans Created Cottage Industries for the Oriental Rugs

The market for the Oriental Rugs in Europe began with the returning Crusaders who brought home these rugs as booty of war. They were expensive, and only for the wealthy or nobility. Displaying an Oriental rug in their home was a status symbol, because the owner had to pay vast sums to acquire it.

However, during the reign of Henry IV of France, the purchase of Oriental rugs from the Middle East was causing economic havoc to the nation. More money was going out to the Middle East than coming in. In 1608, in order to stem the outflow of money and satisfy the French market for these rugs, Henry created an Oriental rug workshop in the Louvre palace. Although the artisans used the Middle East techniques of rug making, the court artists created new floral designs in the French style to be incorporated in these French manufactured rugs. Alas, Henry was so pleased with these French woven Oriental rugs, that he ordered that these pieces were solely for the royal family, thereby defeating the purpose of the workshop.

However, Louis X111, decided it was time again to set up a workshop to produce these “French Orientals’ outside the palace. The building used to house the workshop was a former site for a soap factory. To the locals, the building was known as La Savonnerie. The Oriental Rugs made there were referred to as Savonneries. The carpets produced at this workshop were the first of European original designs in Oriental rug making. But, as successful as these locally produced rugs were, the people were still craving the Oriental rugs from the Turkish market.

In the 17th century, the demand for Oriental rugs exceeded the supply. Finally, Europeans traveled to Turkey to contact the local weavers to set up organized workshops to craft Oriental Rugs. The Europeans provided materials for these rugs and specifications how they were to be made. The commission to manufacture Oriental rugs in Turkey began the carpet trade, but soon Persia also entered into these trade agreements with the West. As these carpets began to become more popular and in demand in Europe, the foreign traders became more influential in the creation of the designs and which fabrics to use in crafting an Oriental rug that would be marketable in Europe.

However, although the boom in the Oriental rug industry was led by fashion, it lasted for a hundred years and by the 18th century, demand in the West declined, Neo Classical was now the rage. And with the decline, many of these cottage workshops disappeared along with the elaborately court style Oriental rugs.

The resurgence of interest in the Oriental Rugs in the 19th century was probably due to the wealthy Victorians who traveled to the Middle and Far East. What they brought back to the West was the richly patterned and colored rugs made by local village and tribes. These Oriental Rugs were an instance hit in the west.

With no organized carpet industry, the question arose again, how they can meet demand from the West for Oriental rugs. An answer was found in the Tabriz area of Persia. The dealers decided to set up factories, having several looms under one roof and paying the workers a weekly wage. By organizing in this manner, the owners were able to accurately react to rapid changing marketing demands. These first factories became so successful that they spread to the other weaving nations.

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