The jute crop has anchored the rural textile economy of eastern India for two millennia, the unspun fibre carrying the rough golden register that turns up in finished work as the natural ground colour.

This dhurrie came off a flatbed loom over 3 weeks. Two weavers shared the bench, the design built up by interlocking blocks of weft colour against a continuous warp. The structure is identical on both faces. The colour passes through the jute / sisal in low-temperature baths that hold the natural variation in the fibre rather than overriding it. The result is a rug whose register changes subtly across the field, the way a hand-painted surface differs from a printed one.

The composition

The composition runs in natural and an answering second tone, the two colours meeting at clean, deliberate joins where the design changes. The colour holds steady because flat-weave does not produce the directional pile shading a cut-pile rug carries. The piece works as much as a textile object as a floor covering. Many serious collectors hang flat-woven work of this scale and quality on the wall for parts of the year, treating it as a graphic surface rather than as utility flooring.

The piece in a room

At 5' × 8' (152 × 244 cm) the rug suits a covered porch, an open kitchen, a sitting area in a flat with cane and timber furniture, or a hallway. The natural reads against painted brick, white plaster, and warm timber equally well.

Care

Vacuum weekly with the beater bar off. Spot clean with mild soap on a clean cloth and blot dry. A flat-weave can be dry cleaned by a textile specialist every two to three years. Reverse seasonally to even out the wear; both faces are working surfaces and the rug benefits from rotation. Avoid extended direct sun on saturated areas of the dye, and use a thin underlay to keep the rug from sliding on hardwood or stone.

Reference

• Medium: hand-loomed sisal on cotton warp
• Dimensions: 5' × 8' (152 × 244 cm)
• Construction: flat-weave
• Pile: flat-weave, no pile
• Hands: 1-2 weavers, ~3 weeks
• Reversible: yes
• Origin: India

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