Dates and signatures

(Posted on 27/11/13)

Dates and signatures sometimes woven into the pile of the rug, usually in the border; this can be taken as a clear indication of when and by whom the rug was made. (Copies of old rugs sometimes include the original date and signature, but there is rarely any attempt to pass them off as originals; even if there were, other indicators of age would make such deceit obvious.) The fact that a rug is signed or dated does not imply that it is any way superior to similar items that have not been inscribed, although it is fair to say that weavers rarely sign inferior examples of their work.Reading signatures and inscriptions  Required a thorough knowledge of the many different languages and regional variations used in the rug-making countries.  However, with possible of few highly collectable older items, it is only important to translate the signature and inscriptions on master-workshop rugs because the work of different weavers can command considerably different prices.  The writing on other categories of contemporary rugs may be of interest, but rarely has any bearing on their quality or value.Reading dates  Far easier, as they are normally written in either European, or more probably Arabic numerals (which are read from right to left), and conform to one of three calendar systems.  The most common is the Muslim calendar - which begins on 16 July 622 - and thus most dates found on oriental rugs have to be converted to the Gregorian calendar used in the west.Converting the Muslim year to the Gregorian year  This is relatively simple calculation.  First divide the date on the rug by 33 - the Muslim year is approximately 1/33 (or 11 days) shorter than the Gregorian year - and subtract the result from the original date. Add this figure to 622 - the year of Mohammed's flight from Mecca to Medina - and the result is the Gregorian year when the rug was made.  If, for example, the date on the rug was 946, the calculation would be as follows:946 -: 33 = 28946 - 28 = 918918 + 622 = 1540