Replicas of historic medieval carpets

Replicas of historic medieval carpets in our store are designed not only for larp, film, reenactment and the like, but of course also for your original interiors – because they are unique and you will not find most of them anywhere else. We prepare the design of the carpets ourselves and we try to stick to the originals as faithfully as possible – either a historical find or a painting.
We focus on replicas from these “dark” periods, of which there are few monuments and the aesthetics of carpets are significantly different from everything later. The core of our offer are carpets medieval and partly a little younger, sometimes until the first half of the sixteenth century. That is, ones that you will not buy elsewhere.

Why replicas of historic medieval carpets

Several large waves have passed in the aesthetics of carpets, and at the same time you can usually recognize the place where the carpet comes from, following the pattern. If you try to buy a traditional or “historic” rug today, it will usually be a richly decorated Persian rug, and the time of its creation will most often be the 19th century, sometimes the 18th century. Older designs just went out of fashion a long time ago.

If you are dedicated to living history, reenactment, shooting a historical film, you want to perfect the set of anything related to history, you have mostly believed the word so far and bought a carpet, the pattern of which was created at the end of the 17th century. No Middle Ages, no Renaissance, let alone something older.

This led us to start producing the most faithful replicas of historic carpets.

Patterns and design of historic carpets

We prepare the design of the carpets ourselves and we try to stick to the originals as faithfully as possible – either a historical find or a painting. Mostly we offer a unique one. We have two options where to look for old carpets. One is the findings. For example, the oldest surviving rug we have found is about 2,500 years old. According to the site, it is called Pazyryk, but it probably originated in the territory of the Urartu Empire in the Caucasus. It sounds hopeful that there are a lot of findings, but the opposite is true. There are very few of them. In addition, we know about a lot of the beautiful decorations decorating various palaces, sometimes we even have a fairly accurate description, but the carpet itself has not been preserved. It’s a little better sometimes from the period of the Seldjuck Empire in Asia Minor and the Nasridid period in the Iberian Peninsula, but they are still very rare. The turning point comes sometime in the late fifteenth century. There are quite a few finds from the sixteenth century. You can also buy originals at auctions, but the prices are really high. The second source of information is paintings and illustrations. Surprisingly, we find a number of interesting carpets there.

In Europe, carpets were very expensive in the Middle Ages. This means really very expensive and only the richest nobility could afford them. They were imported to Europe almost exclusively from Islamic countries – either from Anatolia or from the Nasrid Empire on the Iberian Peninsula. In Europe, carpets were probably first made in the Kingdom of Sicily, but we are not sure. The oldest documented production of carpets in Europe is from the sixteenth century. This production had two centers – Italy and the Netherlands. But even so, the rug until the end of the sixteenth century was simply a very luxurious commodity imported from the Orient. It is no coincidence that in the picture the carpets are painted mostly on the steps in front of the Madonna or during the sixteenth century the rulers used to paint in a dominant position on a nice carpet.

We focus on replicas from these “dark” periods, of which there are few monuments and the aesthetics of carpets are significantly different from everything later. The core of our offer are carpets medieval and partly a little younger, sometimes until the first half of the sixteenth century. That is, ones that you will not buy elsewhere. The offer of historical carpets is here >>

Carpet material

As for the material – we describe it below, but if you want to be truly faithful historically, wool is the right choice. We offer hand-knotted carpets made of the highest quality wool, which are not only knotted, but also dyed to best suit the time of origin. Thus, the colors are exclusively natural, mostly of plant origin. These are carpets that are historically faithful, beautiful and have many advantages. So logically, if you are looking for a nice rug for your apartment or house, this is the choice for you as well.

But maybe you have a limited budget, you want to transport the carpet to outdoor events, where you will treat it rudely – and you are looking for something low-cost. In that case, we have a choice of either polypropylene microfiber, which is quite a credible substitute for wool, and even cheaper 2 mm polyester. Conversely, if you want the best, we can also make you a silk rug, which was the most luxurious thing that could be bought today and in history. We describe more details and differences below.

Wool carpets

Sheep wool is a natural animal fiber. It is a traditional historical material, the vast majority of historical carpets are made of wool (with the exception of the most expensive ones, which are silk). The wool carpet has brilliant colors, which bring the synthetic carpet closer, but it never reaches it fully. The wool is also soft and pleasant to the touch.

The wool in the interior breathes and works with moisture. The quality wool carpet keeps the lanolin from the wool and after stroking you feel its “grease”. The higher the quality, the more lanolin.

Sensitivity to moisture has pros and cons. The advantage is that the room lives well and the carpet helps to stabilize the climate. The disadvantage may be that long-term moisture can damage the carpet. In the interior, it could happen that if you heat the room with water, you need to let the carpet dry well, as well as if you take it to events where it is very likely to get wet. Which is not a problem, you just can’t leave it packed, but when you return you have to let it dry.

Our carpets are made of 100% natural material, made of wool originating from New Zealand. They are woven by hand and dyed with 100% natural dyes of plant origin, the same as the dyes used for carpet weaving in history. They are always completely handmade. We make them to order, so we can adjust the size to the customer and at the same time we add a specific, rather invisible, slight deviation to each of the patterns of each wool carpet, so that your carpet will be unique.

In general, we strive to make it historically the most faithful replica possible.

A well-treated wool carpet will last for hundreds of years. If you take good care of it, it practically does not age – even if you use it normally. (The oldest carpet we have preserved is from Pazyryk and is about 2500 years old).

Therefore, wool carpet is also an excellent investment – its price will rise steadily in terms of piece and unusual patterns, the price will increase.

Advantages of wool carpet

In terms of price, it is a compromise, of course more expensive than a synthetic substitute, but still much cheaper than silk.
Historically, it is a perfectly faithful material.
It has beautiful brilliant colors, a pleasant touch and warms.
It breathes with the environment and helps maintain a pleasant climate.
The wave does not burn.
Unlike synthetic fibers, wool fibers do not break.
Woolen carpet will survive the ages and its price will continue to rise – so it’s a safe conservative investment. Our wool carpets will always be unique, no two will be completely identical and you will not buy them anywhere else.

Disadvantages of wool carpet

He wants sensitive maintenance and thoughtful handling.
It is sensitive to moisture, if it is stored incorrectly it can mold and if you leave it packed somewhere for a long time it can be attacked by moths (it is better if it is on the floor and you use it normally).
In direct bright sunlight, the colors fade over time.
Various stains leave marks on it.
It gradually picks up dust. Which is good for the comfort of the living room, but at the same time it wants to take the wool carpet on a knocker from time to time and gently knock the dust out of it.
If you keep it with a vacuum cleaner, especially with a higher power, expect it to let go of the hair. The vacuum cleaner is not exactly suitable, the wool carpet wants to be knocked out.
Where does the wool carpet fit

It is an ideal carpet for living rooms, offices, hotels, etc.

In the reenactment its beautiful, it is really a historically faithful replica.

Polypropylene (PP) and polyester (PES) carpets

Today, it is the most common carpet material. Synthetic material, lowcost wool replacement for carpets. It is machine-made, carpets from our offer in small series. Despite this, it has many advantages.

It has high abrasion resistance. We offer polypropylene microfiber with 7mm pile, it is relatively soft to the touch and insulates the space.

We have carpets made of polyester with 2mm pile, they are a bit more durable and more flexible, so they are more suitable for places with more traffic.

Advantages of carpets made of polypropylene and polyester

Low price (several times cheaper than a comparatively large one made of natural fibers)
Easy to maintain and can withstand rough handling in many ways. You can clean it without much regard, it dries quickly
Not sensitive to moisture, non-moldy, does not destroy moths short hair polyester is lightweight
Colors do not fade
Our carpets, including these polypropylene carpets, are produced in small series and you will not buy identical ones anywhere else. They are created as very faithful replicas of historic carpets.

Disadvantages of polypropylene carpets

Its durability has its limits, it passes over time, PP fibers tend to break. If it is in a busy place (such as a hallway), count on 20 years.
Polypropylene is not resistant to hot objects, it burns.
Colors are not as brilliant as with natural materials

Two variants of synthetic carpets

Short pile (2mm) PES – relatively stress carpet for busy places. In addition, the low weight with respect to the area, so it can be advantageously used, for example, for decorating walls, tents, etc.
Long hair (7mm) PP microfiber (“synthetic wool”) – in places where people walk less, but for that it is much more pleasant to the touch, it fits or lies better on it.

Where does the polypropylene carpet fit

At home, it’s a low-cost solution. 2 mm pile is suitable for scody, hall, etc., 7 mm pile for living rooms, offices.

In larp, film, reenactment, especially when you have a limited budget.

Silk carpets

Silk is the finest material – and it has always been in history. The silk carpet was and is a luxury. Its production is laborious, expensive – but its features are exceptional. Silk carpets are the finest, the softest, have the finest patterns and the richest colors. Apart from the extraordinary touch, silk is very beautiful to look at, the material is shiny and no other material has such beautiful and rich colors as silk. Although there are various synthetic substitutes, none have an comparable aesthetic value.

It holds heat well and compensates for climatic fluctuations – it warms in winter and cools to the touch in summer.

Our carpets are made of 100% natural material. They are woven by hand and dyed with 100% natural dyes of plant origin, the same as the dyes used for carpet weaving in history. They are always completely handmade. We make them to order, so we can adjust the size to the customer and at the same time we add some specific small deviation to each pattern of each silk carpet, so that your carpet will be unique.

Silk is the most durable of all materials. A well-treated silk rug will last for hundreds of years, and if you take good care of it, it will practically not age – even if you use it normally.

For this reason, a silk carpet is also an excellent investment – its price will rise steadily in terms of piece and unusual patterns, the price will increase.

Advantages of silk carpet

It has beautiful brilliant and rich colors, no other material can do such colors.
Can draw the finest detail of a drawing.
The silk carpet has a pleasant touch and warms in winter and cools in summer.
Silk fibers, unlike synthetic ones, do not break and are finer but more durable than all others.
Woolen carpet will survive for ages and its price will continue to rise – so it’s a safe conservative investment. Our silk carpets will always be unique, no two will be identical and you will not buy them anywhere else.

Disadvantages of silk carpet

Price, it is a luxury item of lasting value.
If you leave it packed for a long time, it can be attacked by moths (it is better if it is on the floor and you use it normally).
Where silk carpets fit

It is a premium luxury carpet for living rooms, prestigious offices and luxury interiors in general.
In the reenactment, it makes sense only as an ornament in the royal or imperial court. Silk, and the silk carpet in particular, has always been a demonstration of the exceptional position of its owner.

Time of production of carpets to order

Carpets made of silk and natural wool are made of 100% natural material (wool or silk), completely hand-knotted and are dyed with natural colors on a plant basis. We offer them exclusively to order and the delivery time will be 6-9 months.