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www.privateairny.com Private Air | Summer 2020 91 such as the Greek historian Herodotus ("brilliant colors") and Venetian explorer Marco Polo ("the choicest and most beautiful"), among others, the Armenians' seventeen centuries of unbroken weaving experience established a remarkable aptitude. Armenians also enjoyed great success as maritime merchants from the Middle Ages, establishing trading in the Netherlands, Turkey, Russia and elsewhere, specializing in pearls, diamonds … and rugs. A note by British Chargé d'Affaires William Taylor omson that by 1850, the Ferahan province was supplying the majority of the country's weavings for export indicates a robust mercantile infrastructure – even before their exposure at the Vienna Fair. e new style produced sumptuous carpets with two different internal structures or "handles." One, referred to as Ferahan Sarouk, with an opulent pile and a very sturdy handle, characteristically have large center medallions and elaborate corner spandrels. e other referred to simply as "Ferahan," is much more pliable, with closer shorn pile, and most commonly feature dense all-over patterns. In Great Britain, where the Ferahan style gained significant popularity, it became known as "e Gentleman's Carpet." "Some Ferahans are bold and demanding, while others are quiet and sophisticated, inviting close contemplation," Winitz observes. And yet, the sensitive viewer can always tell that Ferahans and Ferahan Sarouks are branches of the same family." To this day, the nomenclature is often used interchangeably. (For the sake of simplicity, in this article, the geographic appellation "Ferahan" is used for all carpets from the region.) Partially responsible for Ferahan's renown are the local grasses that fed the Karakul sheep and created an exceptional quality of wool. Durable, supple, lanolin-rich, it appears to glow "from the inside," even after 150 or 200 years. e deep sheen of antique Ferahans provides a particularly satisfying experience of color for the viewer, as tonalities shift throughout the day's changing light. Ferahan weavers were also master dyers. eir rugs offer a resonant spectrum of saturated reds as well as unfathomably Rare double medallion Persian Ferahan Sarouk, over 150 years old, sits comfortably in this contemporary décor benefitting from the generous amounts of diffused light that accentuates the spectacular range of sunset reds in the field. THE COLLECTION

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