Tchang cither, 1940.

 

 

Until 1870, colouring extracted from plants, for stable and saturated colours, was used. Since the end of the 19th century, the use of aniline-based colouring, for cheaper and brighter colours, has negatively affected the quality of carpets. The noble range of cherry shades and red-ochre of the ancient carpets is replaced by more vivid and gaudy colours, quickly losing their original aspect because of the bad quality of colouring.

 

The carpets of Central Asia were woven on very elementary horizontal looms of two different types: narrow and broad. The archaic style of the looms contrasts with the astonishing beauty and quality of the carpets woven on them. On the narrow looms, which can be easily dismantled, rugs were woven for the yurts, and narrow strips stitched together formed floor coverings. The broad looms, which were used for a long time (not in the yards but in the houses or the yurts), were used for weaving big carpets with knot-stitches.