Rugsville Tibet Laka Black Wool & Silk Carpet 5' x 8'

Black is the most demanding ground colour a weaver can take on. The dye must penetrate the wool to the core of the fibre or the rug will read as charcoal under direct light, and the natural mordants that produce a true black, primarily iron and logwood, are the most aggressive on the wool itself, requiring careful pH balance to avoid degrading the protein. The Laka design, a contemporary studio composition working with negative space and graphic restraint, asks for that depth of black to function as it should. There is no other colour the design will accept.

This 5' x 8' (152 x 244 cm) carpet was hand-knotted in India by two weavers over four months. The pile is a blend of hand-spun wool and bombyx mulberry silk on a cotton foundation, tied with the Tibetan senna loop and cut close. The wool was dyed in a cold iron-and-logwood bath with extended steeping to drive the dye to the core of the fibre. The silk was left undyed in selected design lines, where its natural cream catches light against the dark ground and gives the composition its graphic register.

The composition

A deep black field with sparse, almost calligraphic cream lines drawn through it in undyed silk. The composition is restrained to the point of austerity. The eye finds the silk passages, follows them, and returns to the black ground as if returning to silence after a phrase of music. The black will continue to age. Iron mordant deepens with oxidation; the silk holds its cream tone and the contrast sharpens rather than fading across the first decade.

What you are buying

Hand-knotted Tibetan carpets in true black wool with bombyx silk accents are uncommon and Western galleries price them between three and five lakh rupees when they reach gallery shows. The senna construction, the iron-mordant dye process, and the silk lining are identical to that supply. The piece is hand-knotted in India and appreciates with use rather than depreciating; black wool with proper dye penetration becomes more valuable as the dye matures.

The piece in a room

5' x 8' (152 x 244 cm) sits cleanly under a primary sofa or as the anchor in a smaller library or study. Black wants pale walls and warm wood. White plaster, limed oak, brushed brass, and a single piece of strong colour somewhere in the room let the carpet hold the floor without dominating it. The rug pairs poorly with patterned upholstery; the design expects to be the only graphic element in the composition.

Conservation

Rotate annually. Vacuum weekly using suction only with the beater bar lifted; the silk passages must not see a beater. Blot promptly with a clean cotton cloth, never rub. A wool-and-silk specialist should hand-wash the piece every five years to preserve the silk lustre and the dye depth. With this care, the carpet runs sixty to eighty years and the black deepens.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted 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: iron mordant and logwood
• Origin: India

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