Page 9 Advertisements Column 3

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 58, 6 September 1909, Page 9

CARPETS FROM THE ORIENT. ■«. FOR THE HOME BEAUTIFUL. "IVTEVER has there been on. view in -*■" New Zealand such an exhibition of Oriental carpets as ia now displayed at the D.I. C. It is a feast of delicate and vivid colours, mingled with a refinement and art that, alack, is often absent in Western decoration. The home of the carpet is in the East, where, in gala times, it is used as a hanging, and where a praying-rug is the valued property of every good Mussulman. The first Turkey carpets were brought by the Crusaders to England as part of the spoil of the infidels, and now these same floor-coverings have gained such a vogue that they are sent all over the world, for booted and slippered feet — abhorrent to the Turk — to walk upon. TRULY, THEY ARE LUXURIOUS. The foot sinks into the soft pile, and the eye revels in the- delicate and daring tints; so many colours, yet blended as deftly as Nature designs a sunset, with not a discord or a jarring note. Ihey are made in hand-looms, and it is notireabje that in the Turkish carpets the patterns are- vague 'and indeterminate. One can imagine a quaint bird there, a_ conventional flowex here, but nothing is certain. Indeed, it is contrary to the Turkish religion to work into a design anything living, and so their patterns are mostly geometrical and intensely conventional, a refreshing change- from the giant roses and huge daisies and lilies our' grandmothers used to walk upon. Mirzapore and Smyrna carpets are not unknown in New Zealand, but up to now they have filtered through the London market, with the result that these little pink islands in the Southern Hemisphere have not got first pick. But some time ago there came A MERCHANT FROM THE EAST. He reached New Zealand, and ' there showed his little miniature rugs and his patterns to the D.I.C. They recognised the beauty and the utility of hills goods, and gave him such an order that he wont no further, and left for his Eastern home. Among his samples were carpets of such quality that, they would have been required to have been sold at five pounds a square yard to get a fair profit. The result of his visit lies before us, and the value of buying direct from the manufacturers is apparent, ior not only are the patterns more beautiful, but the prices are' cheaper and the quality better. Here is AN EXQUISITE CARPET from Smyrna, of restful, harmonious tints, mainly pale reseda and the soft old rose shade that one associates with La Pompadour. It is a carpet for highheeled shoes and the laces and froufrou? of a tea-gown, and it demands Sheraton furniture and Sevres china. In stern contrast are four long handsome Turkish rugs of rich crimson, with a quaint pattern resembling Turkish lettering, in dark blue, and touches of green, known as the Taprac design. These are for a billiard room, and aro meant to surround the table. Near these hangs a magnificent hand-made Indian carpet of firs.t quality.,, with red, blue, tan, gold, and ivory, "all blended deftly into a harmonious whole. The neighbouring one has, a ground of old ivory tint, with design of red and blue with glimpses of soft green, and a wide band of ivory surrounding it. The knotted fringe with which some of these carpets are finished is a delightful feature. They are the ends %>i the warp and weft of strong linen twine, into which are woven the tightly-tied tufts of wool, coloured as the pattern required. It is truly A BEWILDERING ARR*AY, for no sooner has one fixed on an exquisite carpet of deep yellow, with fcp'ashes of flame, blue, and green, and a lovely border of ivory, headed by a fantastic design in blue and green, than one sees a still more wonderful specimen, of soft greens and blues, with stiff flowers and foliage in red and green and hories. There is nothing aggressive or worrying in these patterns. An invalid with nerves on edge could live with one of them in perfect comfort. Still another advantage is that they would suit almost any room that lms a touch of their prevailing colour. The ivory carpet with the bronze, Hame, and blue designs would look exquisite in a room with a cream, mushroom, or ivory paper. A peculiarity of the Turkish weaves is that they seem unable exactly to comply with the directions for measurement. They either make a rug a little too long or a trifle too phort, perhaps on account of their primitive looms. But with the Indian carpets the measurements are exact. The show is a splendid one, and upstairs more are waiting to have their beauties unfolded. It is to be hoped their artistic merit will find favour in the eyes of those who are, now thai the summer is in tho »QH,v tUsttuwo, getting tUoir houses in ordejs ,