Holiday Sale
Finding just the right rug takes time and the best way to do that is to utilize our no obligation FREE IN HOME TRIAL This sale will be on until December 29th so you can get the best rug for you, without arbitrary pressure.
Gabbeh – Persian Tribal Rugs
GABBEH are tribal woven rugs from Fars Province in southwestern Iran, formerly Persia.
The best rugs come from the Qashqai (sometimes spelled Gashgai), a Turkic tribe. They are fiercely independent, possessing great dignity and culture. Their geometric and stylized floral motifs and designs reflect their long cultural and weaving heritage.
The superb wool in Gabbeh Persian carpets comes from the vast flocks of sheep that graze in mountain or valley pastures, depending on the season. The Quashqai hand spin and vegetable dye their wool. They weave the carpets on portable looms of tree branches that sit only inches from the ground. The looms can easily be taken up and brought with them if they need to follow their flocks.
See the Background section for more in-depth information on Gabbeh.
Formal Floral Oriental Rugs
FORMAL FLORAL designs, often referred to as “Curvelinear Floral” or City rugs, have a pre-planned design drawn on graph paper or a written document called a talim, which can then be faithfully copied by the weavers. This pre-planning becomes evident in the four corners of the border of the rug which are identical.
An integral aspect of this style of intricate weaving is that the Oriental rug is being made expressly for sale. Formal Floral rugs like this are produced by a team of people. They include designers, dyers, weavers, and those who shear (trim), wash and finish the carpet.
Learn more about categories of rugs.
Informal Floral Oriental Rugs
INFORMAL FLORAL rugs, also referred to as “Rectilinear Floral” or Village rugs were originally made in the countryside by women who produced rugs for their own homes. Additional rugs could be produced to be sold, providing income to her family.
The designs of village rugs can be patterns native to a particular village that the women often learned as young adults from their family members or other women in the village. Sometimes the designs are interpretations of those seen in the City Rugs, but with a less detailed somewhat rustic appearance. Remarkably weavers work with no written design, and the carpets are woven from memory. Typical to this type of weaving is that the design in each of the four corners of the border often gets worked out differently.
Learn more about categories of rugs.
Persian Oriental Rugs
The name Persia for the whole of what we now call Iran was adapted from its ancient name Persis. It has long been the home of many nomadic and semi-nomadic tribal groups who continue a way of life that harks back millennia. The term Persia is still used in historical context, including for Persian carpets.
Persian rugs have a reputation with the general public to be the best and are widely considered to be the benchmark for judging rugs from other countries. Their traditional and iconic designs are copied throughout the Orient. Persian rugs and carpets come in many varieties. Along with more City and Village floral rugs. Persian Oriental Rugs include various tribal rugs, including Gabbeh, Bidjar and Boulochi.
See more on Persian rugs.
Antique Oriental Rugs & Antique Look Rugs
While the supply of old and antique Oriental rugs continues to diminish, Grillo always has a few good pieces to offer that we purchase from our cleaning clients or estates. We can help you select the best rug for your home.
There has been a renaissance of traditional weaving practices throughout the rug producing countries of the East. This, along with the astronomical rise of antique rug prices, gave impetus to a cultural revival of weaving reproductions of highly desirable antique rugs utilizing vegetable-dyed and hand-spun wool.
We have an exemplary selection of reproduction rugs chosen by owner George Grillo based on his 55 years experience of what a good antique rug should look like in color and design.
For more information, see our post on Antique and Antique look rugs and what to look for in when judging the condition of an antique rug.
Geometric Tribal & Village Oriental Rugs
Scattered throughout the rug producing countries of the Middle East are numerous tribal groups of various ethnic origins, the remnants of various historic migrations or incursions. From Turkey to Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Turkic and other tribal groups include Yuruks, Kurds, Uzbeks, Belouchi and others. Nomadism is virtually gone but there are still some semi nomadic groups; others have become sedentary villagers living in rural areas. Some of their weavings are geometric in design and others create VILLAGE RUGS with stylized floral rectilinear designs.
In this weaving discipline there is no preplanned design. This allows the weavers, largely women, to exercise their own creativity which adds individuality and charm. This is all the more remarkable because they carry the designs in their heads! There is a continued cultural inheritance and integrity in these rugs and as such many are at the level of folk art. These are for the most part small productions, non-commercial in nature, which do not appear in the market frequently. We never know if we will be able to replace what we sell, making these unique rugs eminently collectable.
For more information, see our post on tribal and nomadic rugs.
Traditional Bidjar Oriental Rugs
Authentic BIDJAR carpets are woven in Persian Kurdistan, a mountainous undeveloped province of Iran inhabited largely by Kurds of various tribal groups. Their remote rural lifestyle, different language, and Sunni traditions has isolated the Kurdish people and impeded development, making Kurdistan a separate country within the country. However, an effect of these socio-economic issues means Bidjar rugs have an extremely favorable quality to value/price and designs and colors have not been affected by Western design or decorating influences. As such, they preserve a rich cultural heritage with a special place in the Oriental rug world.
Bidjars also have a construction unlike any other rugs woven in Iran or the Middle East. The wefts (the thread that runs across the width of the rug) are literally hammered down and produce a very tough, dense and finely-woven carpet which has been dubbed “The Iron Rug of The East.”
The BIDJARS on this page are a just a sample of the rugs found in our showroom, open seven days a week.
Learn more about Bidjar Rugs
Soft Tones Collection
Enjoy this collection of rugs in muted, relaxing soft tones with a variety of motifs.
If you see a rug that you think would be the “just the right rug” for you, see it in your home with our “In Home Free Trial.” You can also visit our outlet showroom in Braintree to see colors and designs in person. Our owner hand selects all our Oriental rugs, based on artistic merit, quality and value.
Grillo also offers a wide variety and selection of traditional jewel tone carpets. To see all our our rugs, click here. Whether you are looking for new or antique rugs, formal, informal or geometric designs, there is a wide selection of quality rugs and carpets waiting for you.