Every month or so, we will post a few interesting rug-related terms and their definitions in this glossary for your knowledge and enjoyment.

Always educate yourself on a topic before you make a purchase, especially with something like Persian Rugs!

These terms can help your rug-related knowledge base and help in your next purchase of an oriental rug.

field- The portion of a rug design enclosed by a border, or the major portion of a rug without borders. The field may be unoccupied or contain medallions or an allover pattern.

ferrous sulfate- An iron mordant. iron mordants tend to darken colors and embrittle wool.

“esthetic” rugs- A design category of Chinese rugs that were introduced in the 1930s, consisting of Art Deco and Aubusson designs.

extra warp patterning- Supplementary or non-structural warps for decorative patterning that may be continuous or discontinuous within the ground fabric.

end- The top or bottom edges of a rug where the warps project from the foundation.

Vase Carpet Structure- A structure used in certain sixteenth and seventeenth-century Persian vase carpets and other carpets. Warps are cotton and wefts are wool, cotton, or silk. Three wefts are used after each row of knots, two of wool and one of cotton or silk. Warps are completely offset. Wool pile and an asymmetric knot open to the left are used in this structure.

elephant foot- A common reference to any octagonal Turkoman gul design in a rug.

endless repeat- A motif or design repeated vertically and horizontally in the field of a rug and interrupted by the borders.

Glossary Source: The Oriental Rug Lexicon (Paperback) By (author) Peter F. Stone