The Colors
The colours of a carpet are determined by the dyestuffs that are used, the type of wool that is used, the dyeing process and the kind of wash that is applied after the carpet is finished. Up until 1850, natural vegetables dyes used from a wide range of plants and minerals were used exclusively for the dyeing of wool. The best quality dyes produced subtle and harmonious colours that were not fully fast to either light or washing. As the carpets aged, the colours gradually changed, if anything becoming richer and mellower in hue. Vegetable dyes continued to be used both among the Mauri rugs (see later) and also with the Chob Rang3 carpets.
From the 1850s onwards chemical dyes started to be used. Initially the dyes were of poor quality and were fugitive, neither fast to light or washing. However since the 1920s and onwards the chemical dyes have been developed and two of the important colours – indigo blue and madder red can now be reproduced exactly by chemical means. There are two basic types of chemical dyes – those that are fast and do not fade or mellow, thus removing the ageing process that is associated with the best quality dyes.
The second type, semi-fast dyes soften with age and mellow and are often difficult to distinguish from the vegetables dyes. Indeed in the view of Ford4 it is almost impossible in practice to distinguish between good semi-fast chemical dyes and vegetables dyes by the eye and this can only be done through chemical analysis. Nevertheless vegetables dyed wool commands a price premium, not least for the work involved in the dyeing process. Specialists traditionally undertook this. However the use of vegetable dyes in contrast to chemical dyes on a commercial scale requires high labour inputs and is therefore expensive. Variations in the shades of colour are determined by both the dyeing process and the type of wool. Different shades of red, often found in the Afghan carpets are often achieved by using the dyestuff on different shades of yarn.
The final part of the production process is the washing which is essentially a finishing process that helps remove any excess dye, washed out the loose fibres and brings out the sheen or lustre of the carpet. The type of washing that is used can contribute towards the development and induce ageing effects through the toning of colour. For example bright reds can be toned down to any shade from rust, rose, copper to brown, gold or beige.
3 Chob Rang literally means ‘wood colour’.
4 Ford, 1981.
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