Bakshaish Rugs & Carpets

These are early types of Heriz district carpets. The Heriz area in Azerbaijan, northwest Persia, has been continuously weaving primarily carpet sizes since at least the beginning of the 19th century, if not substantially earlier. The district begins about forty miles east of Tabriz and contains thirty-odd villages. The area is basically triangular with Ahar and Serab at two points, and Heriz village roughly in the center. The small village of Bakshaish does not appear under that name on reliable maps until the 20th century when it becomes present on all rug maps.

Bakshaish, or whatever name it operated under, has been considered the village where weaving has gone on the longest. There is a number of all wool symmetrically knotted (Turkish knot) long carpets with allover simple floral lattice patterns that can be attributed to Persian Bakshaish weaving. In these rugs yellow or ivory grounds are frequent. These seem to date circa 1800 or shortly thereafter. Somewhat later, although still from the mid-19th century, are a few kellegi format (gallery size) rugs with allover repeats in the Herati pattern or, more rarely, designs closely adapted from Kerman shawl patterns with botehs (paisleys) and stiff connecting vines. Since the textile prototypes date from the 1830s onward, the rugs must be slightly later. The dark blue is solid, but the madder reds are defective, having faded to camel from true tones. [...]

These are early types of Heriz district carpets. The Heriz area in Azerbaijan, northwest Persia, has been continuously weaving primarily carpet sizes since at least the beginning of the 19th century, if not substantially earlier. The district begins about forty miles east of Tabriz and contains thirty-odd villages. The area is basically triangular with Ahar and Serab at two points, and Heriz village roughly in the center. The small village of Bakshaish does not appear under that name on reliable maps until the 20th century when it becomes present on all rug maps.

Bakshaish, or whatever name it operated under, has been considered the village where weaving has gone on the longest. There is a number of all wool symmetrically knotted (Turkish knot) long carpets with allover simple floral lattice patterns that can be attributed to Persian Bakshaish weaving. In these rugs yellow or ivory grounds are frequent. These seem to date circa 1800 or shortly thereafter. Somewhat later, although still from the mid-19th century, are a few kellegi format (gallery size) rugs with allover repeats in the Herati pattern or, more rarely, designs closely adapted from Kerman shawl patterns with botehs (paisleys) and stiff connecting vines. Since the textile prototypes date from the 1830s onward, the rugs must be slightly later. The dark blue is solid, but the madder reds are defective, having faded to camel from true tones.

The Heriz area has always been dependent on the Persian Tabriz carpet trade. When Western demand for oriental carpets revived in the 1870s, it was channeled through Istanbul and thence to Tabriz. Workshops were established in Tabriz for the finer rugs, but where to look for coarser, less expensive, less formal pieces? The Heriz area, and Bakshaish rugs, in particular, was the obvious choice. The weavers of these antique rugs from Bakshaish were already familiar with allover repeating patterns and larger sizes were no problem, although the looms required had to be wider to accommodate Western carpet dimensions. Most antique Bakshaish carpets from the 1875-1900 period are in allover patterns, some classic such as the Herati, Harshang, Mina Khani and Gol Henai, and others in tree, floral, or geometric patterns. The influence of the Caucasus is readily apparent. Azerbaijan had only recently been split into Persian and Russian halves, and there was considerable local memory regarding designs and techniques. Furthermore, Caucasian rugs were popular, but since they came only in scatter sizes, a room size Caucasian had to be found elsewhere; therefore, the trend for geometric Bakshaish rugs came to fruition.

The first Revival Bakshaish rugs are all wool, but cotton soon enters the picture. As befitting a village carpet with no specific quality protocols, some Bakshaishes have all wool foundations, some go with wool wefts and cotton warps, others with wool and cotton mixed together in each warp thread, and there are plenty of other informal combinations. By roughly 1890, the foundations were all cotton with piles of medium height and medium coarse weaves of 40-60 knots per square inch. The dyes were all natural and the colors included navy and light blue, terra cotta and rust, old gold, rose and ivory. The tonality of good antique rugs from Bakshaish is on the mellow side.

There is another type of Persian Heriz rug that is often assigned to Bakshaish; a red, white, and dark blue or light blue carpet style with small central medallions, triangular corners and often unornamented fields. These are often 12 feet by 18 feet, rather than the usual 12 feet by 15 feet dimensions of the allover pattern pieces. These carpets seem to evolve into the classic medallion Heriz rugs in the late 19th century, whereas the allover pattern type clearly becomes the Gorevan rugs. The colorful class of antique Bakshaish rugs includes smaller, scatter and even runner sizes, often with Caucasian harshang (crab design) borders. Clearly, the palette and the chunky, abstract drawing were meant to mimic or follow Caucasian Kazaks, and the rugs must have had the same market. Blame the crafty Tabriz merchants for this.

All Persian Bakshaishes are antique rugs, in fact, nearly 120 years old at the latest. Distinctive production must have ceased around 1900. The oldest Gorevan rugs, some even with wool wefts, seem to date no earlier than 1900. One type went out and another came in. The Tabriz traders had found a new village for their less expensive products. Weaving expanded rapidly in the Heriz area, and at least 10,000 pieces, most in carpet sizes and angular medallion patterns, come out in a good year. Carpet weaving is the main source of income in the area. In the interwar period, there were about 500 looms active in the Bakshaish village, compared to about 800 in Heriz proper. An examination of the backside of antique Bakshaishes reveals short diagonal lines ("lazy lines") indicating the number of weavers and the knotting time required. The weavers, all women, were able to complete a room size carpet in less than three months, with some additional time for loom set up, finishing, etc. The yarn was dyed in Bakshaish itself and there was probably a village dyer or two to handle the indigo and madder, the rest being the work of the weavers. Weld for yellow, vine leaves, oak bark and pomegranate rind are the sources of the secondary hues. Synthetic aniline dyes, which appear briefly in Heriz rugs of the circa 1900 period as virulent, often misbehaving oranges, are not a true Bakshaish vice. The good quality wool was procured as yarn or unspun from the neighboring nomadic Shah Savan tribes in north central Azerbaijan. The cotton foundation thread is always handspun and was probably sent out, along with the orders, from the corresponding Tabriz merchants.

All antique rugs from Bakshaish were woven on wooden vertical looms, perhaps of the Tabriz type, which limited the length to about twenty feet and that is exactly what we find in the many surviving specimens. There are occasional irregularities in the sides and ends, but antique Bakshaish carpets lie flat and there are no nasty fold removal cuts so prevalent in Caucasian Kazak weavings.

The mellow palettes and authentic allover patterns have made them popular with American designers. They are better constructed with superior wool and longer piles than Ziegler Sultanabad rugs, and hold up to foot traffic far better. It is rare to see a dished out or totally flattened Bakshaish. The prices, although always healthy, have never reached the boom-and-bust heights of antique Persian Sultanabad rugs and the retail buyer can find a wide variety of attractive pieces at reasonable prices.