alace, were the first ripe spoils of twenty
years ago. Of course the supply was soon exhausted. It is an interesting
question whether it might not be possible, in the East, to revive this
high class of work among the girls. Instead of establishing great
factories for machine-made products from set designs, could not the most
skilful of the girls be induced by good prices to create original pieces
and rejuvenate the old art?

[Illustration:

PLATE II.
ANTIQUE KONIAH
_Prayer Rug_
FROM THE COLLECTION OF MR. GEORGE H. ELLWANGER
Size: 3.5 x 4.7]

[Illustration: _Persian, Caucasian_]

[Illustration: _Feraghan Leaf Design_]

[Illustration: _Rhodian or Lily Border_]

The method of weaving is most simple. The warp is stretched on a rude
wooden frame, and this warp is either wool, linen, or cotton. The
knotting is begun at the bottom and worked from right to left. A bit of
woollen yarn about two inches long is deftly twisted between the strands
of the warp, then tied in a secure knot, and the ends left as they are.
This knot of yarn is then secured in place by one or more twists of the
end of the warp, and then another knot of yarn is tied and the process
repeated _ad infinitum_ until the bottom row is finished and another row
begun. Not till the rug is all made are the ends of the knots cut,
according to the length of nap desired. Such, at least, was the original
method, although the various knots are all a mystery to any but the
initiated, by whom they are generally classified as two only. When one
square inch of rug is completed, according to the quality of the rug and
the coarseness or fineness of the yarn, there have been thus laboriously
tied from one hundred to five hundred knots, not uncommonly a thousand and
more in some museum pieces. And all this while the weaver is working with
his brains as well as with his fingers and keeping true to the design and
colour scheme which he carries only in his head. Except in the few
intentioned copies, specially made, they had formerly no patterns to
follow. Each particular weaver, however, was wont to keep to the general
design and colouring which distinguished his particular locality.

[Illustration: _Koniah Field_]

[Illustration: _Koulah Border_]

Of designs it may be said, generally, that they were originally individual
trademarks, and, of themselves, stamped the locality of their weavers.
Later, as knowledge and civilization spread and tribe grew t