Mar 24 2008
Baluch Rugs and Carpets. Why We like Them and Why We Don’t
Baluch enthusiasts also appreciate that the fragility of their weave is no cause for contempt, but that it reflects the nomadic background of the rugs, which were made for use over felt mats on soft earth in or near tents. There they were walked on with sheepskin boots or slippers, not with hard leather shoe soles over wood or stone floors as they came to be used in the West. Nor are enthusiasts likely to criticize the delicate, soft, lustrous wool so widely used in Baluch weaving, despite its susceptibility to wear. And as for the charge that Baluches are derivative of the weavings from neighboring tribes or regions like Turkomans, so what. Turkoman rugs themselves are the result of a long evolution out of early forms inspired by classical Turkish and Persian rug design. Nowadays, knowledgeable enthusiasts of nomadic rugs can appreciate that they are all by and large the result of tribal adaptations or transformations of urban rug design. In so far as Baluches are derived from Turkoman or Persian designs or motifs, they always exhibit a characteristic change that gives them a distinctive quality, instantly recognizable as a Baluch. There are, in addition, a number of patterns or motifs that are original Baluch creations or transformations – tree of life patterns, geometric allover repeat designs, and diamond latch hook medallion patterns, to name a few. The condemnation of Baluches as derivative is on the whole a non-issue. And as to seeing them as inferior because they are cheap, the days of cheap antique Baluches are long gone.
There are critical standards that one can apply to evaluate a rug - complexity or rareness of design, control of drawing in weaving the design, transparency of color, or quality of wool, etc., but on the whole Baluches stand up as well by such criteria as other tribal or village rug genres. What constitutes a beautiful rug has always been a matter of taste, and it always will be. Those who do not appreciate Baluch weavings are entitled to their opinion, but they need to understand that such a negative judgment simply is their opinion, and nothing more.
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