American Sarouk Oriental Rugs and Carpets

The American Sarouk is perhaps one of the more popular designs of the 20th century.  The American Sarouk was a genre of rug which was woven in Sarouk, Persia.  The demand, importation and production of such carpets was very high from the 1920's through the 1950's.  While the American Sarouk varied greatly in thickness, some of the more identifiable characteristics include the following:  

1. American Sarouks almost always had either a red background with blue border, or blue background with red border.  While the color of red varied greatly from a dusty rose to a deep wine red, the use of these reds was almost guaranteed to come with a deep blue.  There were very few exceptions to these color combinations.  Blue backgrounds are found less frequently.  Another less commonly found field color was a ivory, which is very rare to come across.  

2. American Sarouks were most often produced with an allover "floral spray" pattern.  While American Sarouks did come with medallions, they were few and far between.  The floral sprays basically were set into proportion with the size of the carpet, however looked like a cluster bouquet of flowers often in a diamond shape covering the field.  American Sarouks almost never had spandrels in the corners of the field, and most common sizes were 9x12 and many unusual and large pieces too.

 

Take a look at options below, or feel free to CONTACT US using our internet form or e-mail (info@rugrag.com) for a list of Reputable dealers selling this special genre of rug. 

 

Low Investment Range:

Take a look at American Sarouk Design Rugs up for bid on eBay!

 

Medium Investment Range:

Take a look at American Sarouk Design Rugs up for bid on eBay!

 

* Image above: Semi-Antique American Sarouk, approximately 9ft. x 12 ft. Circa 1930.  Photograph as seen on Dilmaghani's Rug Database.

 

American Sarouks which were actually made in Sarouk were made of a very solid quality wool on cotton foundation.  In the beginning of production starting in the 1920's tended to be fairly thin yet dense.  As time went on, changes in demand rendered the rugs a slightly thicker production, and the application of a paint pigmentation to the field of the rugs.  

Perhaps one of the more problematic aspects of acquiring American Sarouk rugs in actually identifying them.  To the expert, it's fairly easy to differentiate a rug from Sarouk or an outlying city.  To the novice, it's very easy to get confused between authentic American Sarouks, Araks with American Sarouk Designs, and sometimes even Hamadan's with American Sarouk designs.  Here are some simple tips to prevent expensive rug burn

To differentiate an American Sarouk from an Arak: an Arak rarely ever has greater than 100 knots per square inch.

To differentiate an American Sarouk from a Hamadan: take a look at the reverse side of the rug.  If you see the knots are woven on alternating warps, this is a Hamadan or a rug other than a Sarouk. 

 

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