Early Pieces

Our Tibetan suppliers offer a few early pieces for sale. These are also referred to as refugee rugs since it is due to their status as refugees that often compels Tibetans to sell personal belongings. All proceeds from the sale of these pieces go directly to the Tibetan suppliers. Here you will find sleeping rugs, sitting rugs, and saddle carpets woven for personal use. Dyes are vegetable with perhaps an occasional synthetic. Fiber content ranges from entirely handspun wool, including warp and weft, to cotton warp, with wool weft threads, and some with cotton warp and weft.

These are one of a kind, semi-antique pieces. Many are bound at the outer edges and backed with cloth in the traditional fashion. Knot counts range from about 40 to 60 knots per square inch. Quality is judged by grade of wool and design composition more than knot count. In many the wool has acquired a sheen and softness that gives it a buttery feel. The pieces have been washed, but no attempt at repair has been done and additional measures to reinforce edges may be desirable. We trust that the prices take this into account.

Sleeping Rugs
A popular saying in Tibetan goes...."a carpet for every person."
Roughly 3'x5.5', the khaden, or sleeping rug was used by all classes of society in homes, monasteries, tents and outdoors. Usually covering low benches for daytime sitting and nighttime sleeping, when used on the ground or floor, an underlay of wool blankets and felt was used for warmth, comfort and to keep the rugs clean. Rugs were traditionally bound with red cloth edges (thaja) cut on the bias and backed with cloth (gyabsha.) Flat woven and/or felted wool attached to the ends and selvedges extended the rug, preserved the edges and could be replaced if worn out.
Sitting Rugs Usually just under 3'square, khagangma, or sitting rugs were placed on top of other rugs for guests or people of high rank, as a sign of respect. In monasteries, they marked the place of senior monks when used on top of runners. The practice of binding edges with cloth and lining helped preserve and protect these weavings. Also in this category are smaller pieces, approximately 2'x3' or less, somewhat more finely knotted, with more delicately executed designs.
Saddle Rugs Used in sets, one rug (makden) went under the saddle and one (maksho) went on top. Two pieces were bound as mirror images for the under saddle piece, with a padded cloth spine, sometimes containing holes for a girth, sometimes not. The notched rectangle shape is generally considered Tibetan style and the butterfly shape is said to have been modeled on the British cavalry saddle blanket shape. This shape became extremely popular during the early 20th century. An oval shape favored in Mongolia predates these shapes. Functional as well as decorative, saddle carpets are still highly prized by the horsemen of the Tibetan plateau.
Miscellaneous: Among the many functions of carpets, runners (tsokden) with identical squares marking the seats of individual monks are typically Tibetan. Intact runners are rare, more often fragments of runners consist of two or three squares. We include these here, as well as some smaller pieces such as a fragment of a throne back rug.