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Show 15 LURE of LORE b of tie MY5TIGAL RUG e ; ' mf& ivr.N Yivt ' l m. -I i Holbcrn Rug. Lent by C. F. Williams A ! 1 . : : r ...... .. - . T 1.r;A.rr'-V;jJ''i'-,wvlf Animal Rug:, from Ardcbil Mosque, Once in Yerkes "Collection. If I Vllvl "K Owned by Metropolitan Museum of Art pti ; I 0&M&rt!F SV&'&S Mi Siii Wliitw i Jar 1 wtew T I ill II (Cop7rcht. tO'.O. by 'he .Ni'W Vork llraii C'k. All rlthl r.-i'-rioj Ni:V VDliK, Sulimlay. iiMAXCE, tnjrtrr.v. Iiinlsiu aiv wnrpand oof I ,r ili" oriciitul rK. Slraiii lillorios nn told Jr tin- InliiaioJ iu liu-ir vciy dIfC'i. nml the I'.i-iiim of I.vmiMirs 11111J !ln wreck of klnpr-dnmsnio klnpr-dnmsnio iiu Uil l in I li rlnpiiTs that llioy ti ll. !s It then, any wotuhT that lh'-.v hoIJ a fascination w'liclr enures tlit -i- of this WoMern world to spf-nd millions of dollars to aonliv thnn. as wlnioss the re-marUablc re-marUablc exhibition of these Oriental f.il.iies in the Melropulltau Musi-urn of Ail. - uaiposrd "f products of the an. lent looms, which their owners have per-niittedto per-niittedto he on publle view lint il Janmry? Evi-ry u-fcioui saline there is penneiiid with half forgotten for-gotten legends and traditions every one convoys volumes vol-umes in its symbolism which translated would reveal many wonders of I he mystic East. The public mind has been directed much recently to the Oriental rnprs. for they have loured prominently promi-nently In the customs proserin ions of the government for alleped undervaluation, and the story of the ruby ru which was said by some experts to be worth many times more than the sum for which it was valued on the consular invoice has been lohl. Whether a ruy be worth ?1.ihmi, as Mils one was supposed sup-posed to be. or SIOO.ihm'. which some merchant In enthusiasm en-thusiasm of admiration thought Jt mli:ht brini; from acme Interested American ot treat wealth and artistic leaninz. has little to do with the aesthetic and romantic ro-mantic nn a lilies of these mapc carpets from the East crn lands. So preat has become the enthusiasm of Vnierl'-ans for the Eastern niL's. besinnln with the Centennial Exposition of l7t;. that New York city, uhb h is the cleirin? house for these fnbrlcs for the entire country, coun-try, is now declared by Ir. William It- ValenJ Iner. curator of ihe department of d-eonthe arts In the Metropolitan .Museum of Art, to be the srcatet mart for them known, even sikIi ccnlres as Constantinople and fails taklnp second place. When prosperity smiles on an -American one of his first Ideas of limisHiold adornment is a ru? whh h Is really worth while. Those whose purses are unlimited as far as buyms rare textiles nre concerned are now paying thousands of dollars for products of the .indent .in-dent looms. Some of the stories which nre connected with the rug me more or less fanciful, but there Is hardly a really prent nip which Is not associated wllh deeds of prowess, with acts of fanatical deotion or with long and danperous pilgrimages ocr deserts Infested by marauding bands. Men have been slain for the red ruby whl- h was he Idol's eye; tragedy Is retlei ted from the brilliance f the Kohlmr. and paintings of the great masters f the past have been stained by bbxl. More beau-Jful beau-Jful than rubies or diamonds and expressing as much is the greatest works of the artists of all time, nota-le nota-le Oriental rugs are conntantly being brought to V-se shores to find a place in private gallery or ou the Joor of parlor or library in some city mansion. Many a M3gic Talc. If the full hlsmry of some of the world famous ruirs could be1' known tin -re would be stories as replete re-plete with mystery. Intrigue, and strange lucldent as any of tho-,e that ceutie about the fine cem-- of royal and Imperial collections. Kuzs arc of themselves them-selves human documents, woven from the life of their makers. Customs, language, religion, nil the Ultimate concerns of the people, have a direct Influence upon the making of a One rug. The personal aspirations, aspira-tions, hopes and characteristics of au Individual or small group of Individuals nre expressed In the barinony of color and design. Frequently a great rug has been the work of three consecutive generations genera-tions that have put their thought Into Its fabric Id ulmost all cases an Oriental rug comes from a home, manufactured lu the same room where parents and rhlldren pas.s their Jives, the product of the family, born of their very flesh and fruit of the best that Is In them. No cold, crystalline substance du from the earth nd. capable of being resolved Into chemical elements-could elements-could poRseos the warm fascination that Is part of a fine rug. No treasure of unorganle lerivatlou could he surrounded with the dose human interest that Ls essentially purt of a rug's substance. Perhaps an uoraveller of rug histories would Qnd 10 Oricutul fabric that possesses as sinister a pat r as repelling an origin as the sacred rug of the ' ludlau tribe. This curiosity Ls said to be wned by od of the few survivors of the Iowas Id 5troud, Okla. It Is one hundred and fifty years old, ind cost eventy-eveD lives. It Is about five feet iquare and ls woven of the. hali from seventy -ereu icalps In Ugures of black, white, gray, brown 'and red. Hut it ls certain that If, by Home occult rueaus, t-ne might trace the dramas lhal have surrounded fertaln Turkish, Persian and Indlau rugs ho could throw light upon happenings dork with tragedy. After being finished iu the homes throughout the rural districts, where they are woveu ou hand looms by methods that have probably changed little wlnco the days of Cyrus, the rugs are carried by their owners to local market or bazaars, where they are offered of-fered to merchants and dealers that hwarm through the country. These In turn make up tbelr bundles ind travel toward the larger marls, notably Smyrna jnd ConsLuuiluople, where they meet the demaud or the outer world. Often their ways are lonely and "imdaboul, and they nmc pass with their rug trains i.il, ... (I,,.,-; v. b'Ve tlfi are -xi...-...,) to rne ,i,.nr,.. 00' : Holbcrn F Dragon Rug: XV. Century. Owned by C. F. Williams of mau. pieces Unit a e fumlllar to present day experts ex-perts throughout the world. At all times since eh lllzatioii began the diamond and the ruby have been iccognlzcd and fought over, but it Is only within the last century or so that rugs have come into their proper place us objects to be sought and differ-ei.ilaled. differ-ei.ilaled. Only within the last thirty years has there been anything like full and exact information concerning, con-cerning, ing masterpieces. So rapidly bus the Oriental rug mounted irtlo favor that dealers have been hard put to it to tind the necessary supply. The conditions have called fortn the skilful Imitator, who has given quite as much tit tent Imu of late to the manufacture of "antiques" in rugs as he has to the .Uoduclion of spurious paintings paint-ings attributed to old ..nistorx and to the 'designing of heathen Idols. The Imitator has a very fair chance of making good his deception in the matter of rugs so long as he lias to do with the uninitiated. The dye pots of iug muktng contain s-rei coin pounds that are carefully guarded and. concealed. I'roui onions, beets, .sheep's blood. Indigo, madder and the Juice of buries are produced the wonderfully ioft colors that form the chief attraction iu tine rugs Tn age the colors become mellowed aud blended, and th- difference between a real antJnue and a new rug fresh from the loom is plain to the least experienced. Hut the imitator nets upon the theory that effects duo to gradual and natural causes may ulways be simulated. So he lakes new rugs of recent manufacture, manu-facture, crops (hem close and washes iheni vigorously vigor-ously In various chemicals that subdue the tones and add a lustre. The result is frequently au "antique" that will pass muster with any one except an expert, and the wily imitator gets $7j,wQ for a rug that ls worth perhaps $2oO. Knowledge in America. Smuggling of rugs often has been attempted, and the customs otllcers are ready to admit that sometimes some-times it has been successful The rewards arc tempting, tempt-ing, and examiners are as keeuly on the walch for Illegal Importation ot rugs as they nre fL,r .i, nf bices, Jewels and essences. Da Id undervaluation Is not by any means the limit of the dishonest rug Importer's Im-porter's Ingenuity. Not Jong ago a line set of upholstered uphol-stered furulture was taken to the stores fur appraisal. There was no attempt to shirk the duty on the furniture. furni-ture. On the cuutrary, the Invoice was suspiciously liberal. The upholstery was probed and finally the bottoms were taken out of chairs and couches The Mulling of each piece was then found to consist of beautiful, small silk rugs of great value. There was a time when It was p-ssllle to Impose Umii the American collector of tine rugs, but that h:n now become difficult with the coming oi' more knowledge knowl-edge and a wider acquaintance with these wonderful fabrics of the East. The counting of the knots, the study of the dyes, the sharp search for any traces of the detested anl'.ine nre constantly used ly the amateur ama-teur to prevent himself from Vie lug misled. Charles T Verkes, who gathered one of the greatest collections of these textiles In this country and might have attained the distinction of having the Guest assemblage of this kind In the world, spent thousands of dollars Iu establishing evidences of authenticity. He grew so proticlent In his later years In the lore of rugs that he seemed to know instinctively the merits of carpets and rugs, and many an hour did he Kpend In a gallery devoted especially to those fabrics watching watch-ing the play of colors upon them as If he were communing com-muning with the souls of the past. Of late years there lias been a growing Interest lu the Chinese rugs of the lUlcenth. sixteenth and seventeenth sev-enteenth centuries, which are especially interesting to tin- collector on aM oiint of the rich ami beautiful symbolism sym-bolism I hey convey. Each llgure conveys n thought. The bride received n nig in which were woven the Insignia of happiness and peace and prosperity, while great dignitaries obtained ob-tained fabrics In wlilch by mystic designs w ere i 011-veyed 011-veyed the wishes for longevity and combined power. These rugs, all hough tint so rich In color in most cases as Ihe rcrslaii, are highly esteemed by collectors. Iieinote regions of China are ransacked for rugs, and prices which bring out those wlilch can be obtained are offered w hich in time overcome the scruples of th owners In parting with I hem. Many a saddle cloth which for years served lis purpose on the plains ol Tartary may now be seen ou floor or wall of some Elf Ih avenue residence. The forty-nine rugs which are now on view In the Metropolitan Museum of Art were nearly all leut by private owners. The compelling chirm of the tone and color of the so-called Polonaise rugs will appeal to all observers, no matter whether they have read cWply In the rug manuals or are without any special knowledge of these wca vlngs. There always has U-en more or less of a mystery as lo the origin of the so-called I'ollsh fabrics. One legend has It that certain I'ershui weavers driven to the borders of Europe took up their abode near War-siw War-siw and there began the making of the textiles which bear their names. Ir. Vab'titlner now- comes forward with an explanation explana-tion which' seems to have a fair greater ( weight o( authority iu IH favor. He declares that' the unni I'olonaUe dates from Ihe Paris Exposition of 1S73, when several nigs of this type were exhibited by l'rlncc Czartoriskl from Warsaw. Some of these were adorned w ith the princely coat of arms, w hich had Lee-D embroidered upon (hem at a later date. The fact thai there was nothing European In their design nlwayi has made It dirtlciilt to ne opt the story that In some wav the making of these rugs was carried on hy natives of I'olaml -or descendants of Persians there lu exile. " Some Famous fabrics. It Is now generally believed that the exquisitely delieate fabrics were made In Persia, between the je.irs i(H) and H;.".i. and were wo r n by n special corps of weavers attached to the royal household artJ sent by Shah Abbas, of Persia, to European courts. j Thee rues are exceedingly rare ami on account ; of their great beauty are in great dem-iinl. The seven f splendid specimens which are now to be seen at the ; museum are about three hundred years old, and could ' they (ell of their travels many a story might they j relate of lives In palaces before I hey came Into thtf j possession of their present owners. 1 It Is stated that there are about three hundred of j these i'ollsh rugs In the world. The best examples j are preserved In the European courts, such as those of Mosc ow. Copenhagen. StiH-kholm and Muulch. and other places where they have been carefully guarded j since the seventeenth century. The visitor to the museum has a rare opportunity In observing the wonderful harmony of colors in the specimens. The prlnclpnl lines, all of which sueui to j retain their pristine brilliancy, are light blue, green and remarkable shades of orange and brown, wlilch are especially beautiful when be light falls at different dif-ferent angles upon the heavy silken pile of the fabric. The museum Is Indebted for the loan of the so-called so-called Polonaise rugs to Senator William A. Clark. Mrs. H. Altman, (Jem-mi Drayton Ives, Dr. DtnniJD W.J.-oss and Mr. P. A. H. Wldcner. There are also to be seen In this loan collection rugs of Ispahan, so called because fabrics of this line teMure aud beautiful coloring were carried there to the market, although as a matter of fact no rugs were uiade there ut all ni the period to which these fabrics are usslgned. The name Herat ls now preferably applied ap-plied to (hem They dale from the sixteenth ceutury. and are distinguished by beaut) of design and uiellow-uesj uiellow-uesj of loue. The museum Is so fortunate a.s to own oue of Use animal rugs from the Ardcbil Mosque, which it a--qulred by purchase when the Charles T. Verkes collection col-lection was sold, and also a large Persian hunting niC. so called because It bears tigures of the sports of Hi chase. There are two nigs leot by Mr. C. V. WUHah wlilch are designated as 'he Holbein rugs, Uecaii M rugs of precisely this pattern or very like It appear as table covers lu paintings by the great Dutch artist They are of auclena Oriental origin undoubtedly, N1 they are going dow n to history designated by the aaaii of a European painter. Those w ho have lent their rugs to the mu?cuw tc j this exhibition are Mr. Heujamlu Altman, of N . York; Senator W. A. Clark, also of this city ai.J Montana; Mr. Theodore M. Davis, of New-port; G end Drayton Ives, of New York; Mr. Johu l- . llheiiny. of Philadelphia; Mr. P. M. Sharpies, oMVI Chester, Pa.; Mr. P. A. D. Wldcner, of Elklus IV-1 Pu ; Mr C. F. Williams, of Norrlstown. Pa., uud tf "y - K t - - dathms of outlaws and bandits. Attacks on rug men hauls arc- of frequent occurrence in distant regions, re-gions, and the buyer who has a fortune In rugs lu his keeping must be prepared to stand over It wllh ready rifle to defend It from wayside robbers. They (ell a story In Samarkand of a rug men ban t who had wandered far Into the mountains from Saraz In search of uuumiuI specimens. He had with him a marvellous goafs Irilr pra)er rug of great value, in a narrow volley be and bis two bearers were set upon by bandits, and. after a severe struggle, strug-gle, were beaten Into Insensibility and left for dead. The merchant returned lo consciousness to And himself him-self sr. rely wounded and his rugs stolen. Ills bearer bear-er died In the valley, but he managed lo drag himself him-self to the heights ami a place of coucealment. Makes His Escape. Living on roor and berries he remained In bis fastness notll he had somewhat recovered, uud then, lustead of seeking to escape from the wild region, he took the trail of his precious rug. lie dogged the robbers with patience anil cuuniug through weeks of privation nnd suffering. ind came at Inst to their village. Noting the hut of the leader of the band, he stole in by night, killed the bandit as be "slept and recovered the rug. Once more be too!; to the mountains, and after another month of wandering he wod out of the wllderuesn Into a city ills prize, w hich he tool; at length to one of the world markets he sold for enough to mke him wealthy. The nig is said to be iu an Austrian collection at present-One present-One of the most famous of antique Persian rugs Is that known as the Ardebil carpet, now In the South Kensington Museum, In London. Jnlo the design de-sign Ls woven the namp of the maker, "Maksnud, of Kashan. the Slave ef (he Holy Place." and the date of Its manufacture Is set as 1 !",". It Ls believed to contain SH.oOVW separate kDots. eicb tied by hand, and must necessarily have consumed many yea-rs lu the making. It whs purchased for $12,r00. but undoubtedly un-doubtedly would bring many times th:'t sum If It were placed on the market again. What Ls called the companion piece to this rug, which was, however, repaired by the addition of a border from another Honr-c. was sold at the auction of the Charles T. Yerkes colhvilon for SUT.OiX) to Captain Joseph it. De La Mar and now adorns bis Madison aveuue home. Jt also bore the same inscription in-scription as appears upon the South Kensington Museum example, which Ls iv follows: "I have no refuge la the world other thau toy threshold; "My head has no protection other thau this porch-way; porch-way; "The work of the Slave of the Holy Place. Maksoud of Kashan." What u life of devotion, of toll, is implied in these lines in scrawling detractors, placed In a luedadlou near the bonier of this noble rug! There Ls something which transcends the material in it, for there Is enmeshed en-meshed lu Its strands and knots the heart and soul of one who spent hLs days lu this labor of love iu the porch of the (Jrent Mosque of Ardebil. according to tho tradition .conveyed by Ihe w oven words. Pern-ins th- t.eMt known nir In ellotence Is (hf itnvnl I MP4 Huntinj Rug, with Inscriptions from the Koran. Lent by George F. Baker Hunting Carpet of the Austrian imperial and Koy.il Court. According to legend il was presented by Pelcr the Great. It Is of great antiquity, of PeiIau origin and shows Chinese influence In Ihe design, which includes in-cludes elaborately woven horsemen In pursuit of deer and other aulmal and winged gods In contest with lions and buffaloes. No dealer would be ready to say what this rug would bring If offered for sale Possibly Possi-bly no sum could adequately express Its value. Senator W. A. Clark, of Montaua, was said (o have purchased thirty maguiikent specimens of antique Persian rugs some few years apo for $'2r.u.00i). He was also credited with owning tho largest collection of Ispahan rugs of the sixteenth century lu exlstem e. lit the highly distinctive rugs known to collectors perhaps none is so greatly joveted as one which 1 now in the Commercial Museum ot Vienna, Its de--ilgn Is made up of the ninety-nine names of Allah and Inscriptions taken from the Koran. It was found in a mosque at Aleppo and ls undoubtedly very old. The rug seized recently here Is believed by experts to be the famous ruby rug of the Duke of Kutland group. It has been sought many lines by dealers, and rumors to the effect that It had been disposed of have recently reached New York. Learning Rug Lore. Study and knowledge of rugs are comparatively modern a fact which accounts for the shadowy punt |