Lori Rug
| Lori Rug | |
|---|---|
 Design of Lori Rug (Rugman) | |
| General information | |
| Name | Lori Rug |
| Original name | قالی لری |
| Alternative name(s) | Lori Carpet |
| Origin |  Iran: Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Fars, Isfahan, Markazi |
| Category | Trabil, Village |
| Technical information | |
| Common designs | Geometric |
| Common colors | Red, Brown, Navy Blue, Beige |
| Dyeing method | Natural, Synthetic |
| Pile material | Wool |
| Foundation material | Cotton, Wool, Goat Hair |
| Knot type | Symmetrical (Turkish), Asymmetrical (Persian) |
Lori rugs, woven by people living in Lorestan in the western part of Iran, are tribal traditional rugs. The Lori, or Luri as they are sometimes referred to, have lived happily as nomads for over 600 years, free from the constraints of our modern culture. Linguistically Persian, Lori weavers create traditional rugs in designs and styles similar to those created by the Kurds. Still living as they did hundreds of years ago, Lori rugs are woven with handmade tools following the time honored traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation over centuries. Lori rugs are flat-woven, meaning that it is a textile without a pile. Flat weave is a technique of weaving where no knots are used. Instead the warp strands are used as the foundation of the traditional rugs and the weft stands are used as both part of the foundation and in creating the patterns. The weft strands are woven through the warp strands.
History
The Lori, also called “Lor” or “Lur,” are a large tribe living in the Lorestan Province and across the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. They are the oldest known tribe in Iran. Over the centuries, the Lori tribe have spread out from Lorestan and settled in the Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran near the Persian Gulf. Lori live among the AFSHAR, BAKHTIARI, Kurd, and QASHQAI tribes. They reside in cities and towns in the region, but a small percentage still live as nomads, raising livestock and migrating semiannually. A historically significant Lori subtribc is the Mamassani.
It is important to note that after World War II, tribal rugs from Iran began to receive special attention in the world market. Production increased dramatically, and this had a largely positive economic impact for all tribal weavers. Today any ninetecnth-century tribal woven rug, including a Lori rug. is considered a collector's item and is in demand in the anaque market.[1]
Materials
Foundation and Pile
Lori rugs began to be woven in the mid-nineteenth century. Rugs from this period to the 1920s have a wool foundation. From the 1920s onward, the weavers mainly used a cotton foundation.[2]
Techniques and structures
Color and dyeing
Early Lori rus have traditional field colors of reds, blues, browns, and ivory. Since World War II, all shades of red, blue, green, gold, beige, cinnamon, bronn, gray, and black are used for the background, borders, and design elements. These colors appear especially in Yalameh rugs in particularly charming and popular combinations.[3]
The colors of Lori rugs, typically created with vegetable coloring are predominantly deep blues, reds, and oranges.
Persian Lori rugs tend to depend on rich combinations of colors – above all reds, blues, greens, and yellows. These vibrant hues and shades of beautiful rich and jewel tone colors contribute to the excitement that these unique tribal compositions provide. Persian Lori rug will also guarantee that each of the threads will absorb and retain the natural rug dyes that will be used when creating each Persian Lori rug.[4]
Motifs and Designs
Lori designs are geometric, with tribal influences from Kurdistan and Turkmenistan. Lori rugs generally have an allover pattern featuring diamond-shaped lozenges with or without Hook motifs, as well as horizontal and vertical stripes, Turkmen Gul (flower), Shrub, Star, and S motifs, and leaves, animals, birds, flower heads, and other tribal motifs. Tribal movements and intermarriages among tribes resulted in design combinations.[5]
Weaving techniques
Lori weavers are known for making flatwoven rugs mostly for personal use. Some weavers use an extra weft for their flatwoven designs similar to the SOUMAK styles from the CAUCASUS region. Pile rugs are also woven, most with the Turkish (symmetric) knot, although some occasionally are made with Persian (asymmetric) knots.
The Lori tribe also makes Gabbeh rugs using the natural wool colors of white, brown, and black, which are fashionable in the Western market. In addition, the Lori subtribe of the Yalameh makes rugs and carpets that are successfully marketed in Europe.
Until the mid-twentieth century, Lori rug sizes were woven in formats ranging from bags to rugs approximately ten feet by five feet, with Yalamehs reaching dimensions of up to twelve feet by nine feer. After this period, Lori sizes increased to small room dimensions.[6]
See also
References
Bibliography
- Abraham Levi Moheban, (2015), The Encyclopedia of Antique Carpets: Twenty-Five Centuries of Weaving, NewYork: Princeton Architectural Press.
- Nazmiyal Antique Rugs, (2019).