Rugsville Laka Ivory Wool & Silk Carpet 5' x 8'

Ivory in handwoven textile work is rarely a simple absence of dye. A true ivory ground requires the weaver to source wool from a specific clip, usually from a flock raised at altitude where the lanolin holds a creamy cast against the wash water. Cheaper undyed wool reads as grey or yellow; only carefully sorted highland fleece carries the warm cast that makes ivory work as a design ground. The Laka design in undyed silk and lightly off-white wool depends on that warm cast for its restrained graphic register.

Two weavers shared the loom for four months on this 5' x 8' (152 x 244 cm) carpet. The pile is a blend of undyed hand-spun wool and undyed bombyx mulberry silk on a cotton foundation, tied with the Tibetan senna loop wrapped over an iron rod and cut by knife. No dye bath was used. The colour comes entirely from the natural cast of the fibre, with the silk threads sitting a few microns brighter than the wool to give the design its tonal layering. The carpet is washed once after weaving in a mild olive-soap solution to relax the surface and lift the dust of the loom.

The composition

A warm ivory field with sparse linear motifs drawn in slightly brighter silk passages. The wool reads as the warm tonal ground of cream and bone; the silk reads as the cooler register of pearl. The contrast is subtle from a doorway and resolves on close inspection. The piece will continue to age. Ivory wool warms toward antique cream over the years, the silk holds its cooler tone, and the composition gains depth rather than losing it.

What you are buying

Undyed hand-knotted wool-and-silk Tibetan carpets are unusually difficult to produce, since the wool clip must be sorted carefully for tonal consistency and the silk must come from a single batch. Western galleries price comparable ivory pieces between three and five lakh rupees. The senna construction, the fibre quality, and the un-dyed-but-washed finishing process are identical to that pipeline. The piece is hand-knotted in India and appreciates with use rather than depreciating.

The piece in a room

5' x 8' (152 x 244 cm) anchors a primary bedroom flanked by side tables, sits cleanly under a single armchair and ottoman, or works as the floor element in a small library. Ivory wants warm wood, brass, leather, and saturated upholstery in cobalt, ochre, or oxblood. Pairs poorly with cool grey-tone walls; the wool is calibrated for warm light and reads dull against cool plaster.

Conservation

Rotate annually. Vacuum weekly with suction only, beater bar disengaged. Blot any spill immediately with a clean cotton cloth; ivory wool shows wine and oil more readily than coloured grounds, and prompt blotting is essential. A wool-and-silk specialist hand-wash every four to five years preserves the warm cast of the fibre. With this care, the piece runs fifty to seventy years.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted undyed wool and bombyx silk on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 152 x 244 cm (5' x 8')
• Construction: Tibetan senna loop
• Hands: 2 weavers, ~4 months
• Pile: 11 mm
• Dye: undyed natural fibre, washed in olive soap solution
• Origin: India

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