Ziegler (carpet manufacturer)

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Ziegler was a British - Persian carpet company in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

history

Zieglerteppich

The company was founded in Manchester by the Swiss entrepreneur Philipp Ziegler . In addition to a weaving mill , there was a trading house. The company traded under the name of Company Messrs. Ziegler & Co. Ltd. and has worked with great success over the course of its 50-year history. Initially, the company's success was based on the sale of local cloth products to Persia in the Orient . The special trade relations of the British Empire with its "protectorate" Persia helped . In addition, a decree came Qajar - Shah Nasir al-Din area, which allowed by decree in 1872 that foreign autonomous production in the country was possible. Ziegler took up this offer and set up his own carpet production facility in Solṭānābād (now Arak ). The choice of this location was not only due to the fact that a central trade forum already existed here, but that an inner-Iranian infrastructure network between Tehran and Baghdad via Hamadān and Kermānschāh could be used.

From around 1890 to 1930 merino wool was imported and processed from Manchester (the headquarters of the Ziegler company) because it was particularly soft and fine.

The demand for cloth products in Persia increased, as did the European demand for oriental carpets. The proceeds from the cloth sales were reinvested in domestic Persian products, which were exported to India, mainly in exchange for pounds sterling, due to questions about the convertibility of the Persian rial as a currency . At the same time, however, there was a threat that the resources of Iranian carpets would run dry. This was countered by the fact that their own carpets were now being produced in Iran. The quality of the carpets decreased significantly, but quantitatively it was possible to keep pace with the steadily growing demand. Pile yarns were treated with aniline color (chemically) and production was based on a division of labor. This ensured, on the one hand, to operate economically and, on the other hand, to advance production with high impact. These circumstances were also helped by the fact that the aniline-colored carpets, which fade very quickly, enjoyed a dramatic increase in popularity in Europe. The exported goods were the axes Istanbul - Vienna one hand and Bombay other hand deleted .

To boost its own productions, the company initially cooperated with Ginzkey and Reichert in order to use their local knowledge. In addition, the company was able to use the domestic industry for its own purposes. Trade agreements were concluded with the local agents (ʿāmels) with the content of creating conditions for the exchange of raw materials (dyed wool and patterns) and negotiating commercial price ranges for sales. In return , the ʿāmels offered very useful services; So they distributed the fabrics to local weavers , who were often their own small family businesses. In addition, they personally monitored the weaving processes and collected the finished products so that they could be brought into the Ziegler warehouse after a thorough inspection. The carpets (knot density about 120,000 knots / m²), which can be traded inexpensively through these process steps, could be mass-produced.

The increasing demand made further production sites necessary: ​​first, sites were set up in Tabrīz and Rašt (1867), later in Mahal and Moschkabad. In the course of the company's history, a total of 111 villages around Solṭānābād became Ziegler's factory locations. The carpet patterns were borrowed from the flavors of the Safavid period with patterns without a central medallion. Beige-ivory-colored funds dominated due to corresponding demand. The Persian carpet was therefore increasingly subject to foreign flavors with an overall decline in quality. On the other hand, jobs could be created in Persia. The industrially high level of professionalism ultimately allowed delivery guarantees .

There was increasing competition among foreign companies in the Persian market. The Dutch Hotz & Son , the Italian-British “Castelli Brothers Co.”, the American “The Eastern Rug and Trading Company of New York” and finally the German Petag are examples of this process. In addition, there were Armenian comrades-in-arms who had good overseas relations in the United States. The size of Ziegler with 3,000 knotting chairs in Sultanabad (Arak) alone, however, never reached.

The Ziegler company acted as negotiator for one of the most spectacular carpet transfers in history. In 1890, the company helped sell the world's oldest dated carpet, the Ardabil carpet from 1539–1540 and its twin from the Ardabil mosque.

The effects of the global stock market slump and in particular the subsequent global economic crisis wiped out the market within a very short time in 1928/29.

Trivia

The imported textiles, which were machine-made in England and which were much cheaper, found great sales right from the start - and soon drove domestic weaving products out of the market. This had a devastating effect on jobs. The poet and Nobel Prize winner Gerhart Hauptmann vividly describes this social upheaval in his drama Die Weber .

Typical characteristics of the carpets

Ziegler carpets have an atypical design, which sets them apart from most oriental carpets. The pile is mostly beige, cream colored, occasionally ivory colored. On the light background, floral ornaments are worked in, which are either in an intense red or black tone. There are also elaborations with a central medallion, which is designed in the colors of the ornaments.

Modern elements and design directions have also been incorporated over time. Today, Ziegler carpets are treated with a stone wash after they are knotted in order to achieve a washed-out effect. Thanks to this effect, they should resemble the appearance of antique and faded Persian carpets when they are new. The vintage look makes the colors look paler.

See also

literature

Web links

Remarks

  1. ^ Entry on Carpets-XI in the Encyclopædia Iranica
  2. ↑ Ittig, 1983, I, pp. 139-40 and notes 33, 37
  3. ↑ Ziegler carpets at Christie's
  4. ^ Arnold Henry Savage Landor Across Coveted Lands or, A Journey from Flushing (Holland) to Calcutta
  5. ↑ The 'Holy' Carpet of Ardebil
  6. ↑ Ziegler carpets - the most important data and facts. Retrieved October 9, 2018 .