Dyes(part 1): Natural vs. Synthetic
The colors of a carpet and their compatibility with each other is probably the single most important element upon which its aesthetic appeal is based.  This appeal is strictly emotional!  Like any attraction to a work of art, it is a highly personal reaction.  The psychological response of the viewer must be instantaneous and favorable.  The collector should experience an immediate attraction which inspires a desire to own the piece so that he may be assured of the ever-increasing pleasure repeated observance can grant!  Again, it must be understood that this appeal is a unique phenomenon since each person has an individual personality with its own unique aesthetic standards.  To one, the quiet colors of a Baluch rug is a triumph of artistic understatement, and to another, these are just dull.  On the other hand, the latter might find the vivid colors and strong contrast of a Kasak as highly expressive and the former sees these and their arrangement as strident and glaring!  However, one thing is certain, antique specimens do NOT have the raw hues usually associated with new textiles!!  The chemical treatment of the latter can never duplicate the patina produced by age and gentle use!!!  The artificial sheen created by running the new piece between hot rollers loaded with paraffin gives it only a short-lived gloss which in no way resembles the "icy" appearance of the genuine antique.  It cannot be sufficiently emphasized  that the prospective buyer should examine carefully both sides of the contemplated addition to his collection.  Firstly, the back usually reveals any old repairs and their quality.  Secondly, this inspection may tell a great deal about the colors and the dyes which produced them.  If the colors on the reverse side are vivid, but those of the pile are pale in comparison, either the dyes were over-sensitive to light or a relatively new rug was chemically treated to simulate old age.  In either case, forget the piece!!  Don't allow some unscrupulous dealer to tell you that the washed-out rug, he is offering, owes its faded appearance to old age!!!  On the other hand, if the opposite is true, like in many American Sarouks, it simply means that it was bleached originally to reduce the brightness of its colors which were deemed unacceptable to our public.  It should be noted that in this process, the weaker colors were often completely eradicated and then had to be restored by airbrush painting.  In the trade, such items were called "A Chemically Washed and Painted Rug."  In recent times, this pernicious practice has been abandoned because of the excessive cost of labor.

One must accept that all dyes, with the possible exception of chrome dyes, have a tendency to fade with time and the prevailing ambient conditions.  What is so attractive, in the antique carpet, is that its natural colors tend to be modified with the years and, for instance, what seems to be a solid blue at the first superficial glance will, upon closer and careful scrutiny, reveal many nuances and shades of blue!  This is what gives the textile its "surface interest" and makes it come alive.  The finest of new carpets with the best chrome dyes can never achieve this miracle!  The colors of the antique rug also have a glow, called patina, which beggars description!  Only the experience of inspecting many of these artifacts can grant one the necessary appreciation of this phenomenon!!

It may happen, while questing for these treasures, that you may chance upon a fine antique specimen which has an abrupt color variation.  This is called an "Abrash".  It does NOT diminish the desirability or value of the piece unless it is so strident that it offends the eye and reduces its aesthetic appeal.  When this variation is acceptable, it just adds to the surface-interest.  An abrash is a condition that develops with age.  It results because the weaver was unable to have all the pile-yarn dyed at the same time.  Usually, in rural rugs, all the dyeing was done by one family where the processing secrets were handed down from father to son.  The manufacture and use of dyes was crude with many uncontrollable factors.  I have never seen a workshop carpet with an abrash!  When a plant dye was used, its characteristics depend on where the plant grew and when it was reaped.  The amount of rainfall and its accessibility to sunlight were also potent factors.  Under the circumstances, it must be obvious that batches of wool, dyed at different times, would be processed with variants of the same dye.  Also, it should be noted that the rural dyer used empirical methods and did not have the advantages of modern quality control.  It is no wonder that  that his productions had great variation!  It is certain that when the wool batches were dyed originally, these all looked alike.  They looked alike but they were NOT dyed alike!!!  As the piece aged, one batch being more sensitive to light than another, fades more and so an abrash was created.

Dyes (part 2)
The great interest, in the collecting of old and antique carpets, blossomed in the late 19th century and was due to the intense promotions by academicians like Von Bode, Sarre, Trenkwald, etc.  It may be assumed that their activities resulted in no financial loss!  The "EXPERTS" of that time equated natural dyes with antiquity.  They decreed that only rugs produced before 1860 can be considered as collectibles because it was then that synthetic dyes came into general use.  Obviously, only rugs with natural dyes could be included in this category.  However, a century has passed since then and today many 20th century carpets are being collected avidly!  It may well be assumed that some of these contain artificially dyed yarn.  At this point, I'd like to quote from "Oriental Rugs" by Charles W. Jacobsen " The dangerous aniline period was in rugs made between 1890 and 1910.  You may be sure that most of these have worn out.  If one should appear from an estate, any and everyone will quickly recognize it and see its imperfections, i.e., the red will have bled badly into the white.  The colors will have faded badly in others.  These have long since gone into the trash barrel.  But again, the novice will need no knowledge of rugs, no special insight, to reject any old rug with aniline dyes.  He isn't likely to ever see one but even if he did, he would not buy it. (my emphasis)

When I first started in the business in 1924, the first thing that any hobbyist or anyone who had read one of the books wanted to know was: if the rug they were considering had only vegetable dyes.  It was only a slight issue at that time because seldom did one of the rugs with aniline dyes appear.  Most of the few rugs with aniline dyes that I saw over the years were in private homes."  RIGHT ON, MR. JACOBSEN!!!  Although, it must be admitted that he is neither an ethnologist nor an art-historian, his over fifty years of experience as a dealer should guarantee his competency!!!

If a collector is contemplating the purchase of a particular carpet and its colors, among other characteristics, appeal to him, it is unimportant whether its pile was naturally or synthetically dyed.  As always, I aver that the first and foremost regard must be the aesthetic satisfaction it offers to the prospective owner!  It can be accepted, however, that in most cases, the well-used antique carpet, with its naturally dyed yarn, will prove more desirable providing all other features being equal.

For a better understanding of the "artificially-dyed" hysteria which bothers so many curators and other "experts", it is necessary to delve into the more recent history of the Orient rug.  In the last quarter of the 19th century, a growing affluent middle-class, particularly in the United States and England, developed a strong desire to own these artifacts as status symbols.  The result was an enormous demand for these items.  This was so great that it was impossible for the usual sources to supply it.  This gave rise to native and foreign firms who built factories and put the production on a modern business basis!  Standard designs and colors were devised to please the desires of foreign importers.  They could choose not only from those patterns and colors that he thought would suit his clientele, but also from diverse qualities.  In addition, sizes and formats were offered that would complement the current European and American decor.  This caused the destruction of the Oriental carpet as a carrier of Near-Eastern culture and tradition .Factories were established in populous centers, like Tabris and Smyrna which became enclaves of production.  However, there was one problem and that was the use of natural dyes required much time and this slowed the rate of production!  It is obvious that this factor curtailed sales and consequently profits!!

At this time, the burgeoning European industry had developed the first aniline dyes.  These seemed to offer a greater palette of colors and, most important, made it possible to dye much faster!!  The new dyes were welcomed enthusiastically by manufacturers.  However, the new dyes proved to be fugitive and many of these became unsightly after a short time!!  This caused a sharp decrease in demand!!!  Since the rug trade was a source of considerable income for the Persian government, it enacted strict laws against the importing and use of synthetic dyes,  Despite these steps to curtail their use, the onerous practice continued, albeit surreptitiously.

Dyes (part 3)
It goes without saying, that the salesmen of synthetic dyes, in general, confined their efforts to the large carpet-manufacturing centers or to those rural districts with a high density of cottage production.  It surely did not pay for them to chase after nomads or to visit isolated areas where sales would be extremely limited.  In this period, traveling was difficult and often dangerous.  Usually, an inhabitant was born in a particular village, spent his whole life there and died without ever leaving it.  One may assume that it is unlikely that he would go long distances in order to buy the new dyes.  It would far more logical and much easier to take the yarn to the local dyer whose family had been performing this function since time immemorial this was the traditional way, and it must be remembered, that tradition was deeply respected!  As a possible alternative he might do the dyeing himself.  The dye-producing plants could be gathered locally and these were free!!!  It is patently true that the process was a time-consuming task but the peasant had a lot of time and very little money!!!  We may take it for granted that that the great majority of rural rugs, of this era, were dyed with natural dyes in the traditional way!!

It should be noted that even some of the workshop carpets of this period, which have survived and are collected today, have lovely colors no matter how these were dyed.  The fifty to hundred years of use has mellowed these weavings so it that please the eye.  WHAT DOES IT MATTER HOW THESE WERE DYED AS LONG AS THE FINAL PRODUCT IS BEAUTIFUL!!!  I always am amazed at the "Expert", like a museum curator I met, who superficially examines a 19th century carpet and proclaims, as though he were Moses giving the Jews the ten commandments, that the piece is a non-collectible because it is aniline-dyed.  When asked, "How can you be certain?", he replies,  "Experience"!  I must regard such "Experts" with a jaundiced eye.  Quoting from "Turkish Carpets" by J. Iten-Maritz, discussing the present day use of high quality synthetic dyes, "Even experts have difficulty in distinguishing between these synthetic dyes and organic dyes,"  He is talking about dyes being used today in high quality carpets. Imagine how much more difficult it must be to detect the difference after fifty or more years of use???  It can be concluded, beyond question, that antique or semi-antique rugs, which have survived in good condition to the present day, were well dyed no matter what dyes originally were used!

When I began my career as an aficionado and collector, the cognoscente, at that time, decreed that orange, pink and bottle-green definitely were artificial!  A Viennese dealer in antique kilims, whose hobby was the dyeing of yarn, proved that he could produce these colors using only vegetable dyes!  As a novice, I had swallowed the above-mentioned decree hook, line and sinker!  Now, thanks to that dealer, I know better!!!  They also opined that color bleeding clearly indicated that the dye used was synthetic.  I remember seeing a 16th century carpet at the at the fourth I.C.O.C. wherein the colors had bled!!!  Today, I know that this may occurred because the dye originally was fixed improperly or that it had been washed in boiling water.  I must admit , from what I have seen, no artificially dyed pile ever has acquired the patina and color-nuances that natural dyes achieve in antique rugs  and which grants these their glow and surface-interest!!!

I conclude this topic with a little anecdote.  Long ago, I attended a session of my rug club, to listen to a lecture by a specialist on carpet dyes.  At the conclusion of his learned discourse, after referring to the accomplishments of the above-mentioned dealer, I asked, "If one can produce any color using natural dyes, how is it possible for someone, with a superficial examination, can declare that any particular color is the result of a chemical dye?"  His reply was, "That's very simple."  Since this question has troubled me for a long time, I waited with bated breath for his explanation.  He said. "The naturally dyed colors are beautiful and the artificially dyed are ugly."  So much for science!!! 

Sam