In recent months, my efforts to track down ancient kilims and carpets have been laid low by the manouevrings of itinerant Kashmiri carpet salesmen who will go to any length to convince you that a recent, hand-knotted wool carpet is over a hundred years old, holding up patched tufts of repair work as proof.
Unfortunately, even as the awareness of antique carpets has begun to increase amidst the lunching lot, the fake antique carpet business has also increased exponentially.
For many, of course, it is the need for the weathered look, as opposed to its antique value, that is an over-riding concern, and it is this set of people who are most likely to be exploited by unscrupulous carpet traders who do not mind aging new carpets to increase their antique value.
Which, of course, again throws up the argument whether every old carpet should be considered an antique purely on the basis of age rather than quality of workmanship, and rarity of the product.
Therefore, it is advisable to have someone knowledgeable view likely purchases, especially since colours, motifs and provenance (rather than knots) should be used to judge an old carpet.
This is particularly important when you consider that a standard 5x8 carpet costing Rs 20,000 may be passed off as a bargain for Rs 80,000 on the false premise of its antique value.
It was in the 16th century that the finest Persian carpets came to be woven, under the Safavid dynasty.
They were almost certainly imported to India in vast numbers -- though few specimens of the time are likely to have survived the ravages of India's harsh climate.
More likely, and in sufficient quantities, will be carpets produced in India -- in Kashmir, of course, but in all probability, those woven by prisoners in the jails of Lahore, Agra, Jaipur, Amritsar and Bikaner.
Inspired by the Persian carpet, they have motifs based on the illuminated manuscripts of the time, with curvilinear, floral forms, tile designs and foliage.
Almost as likely to be found are carpets that were woven across the vast stretch of the Tasrim Basin between Turkestan and the western border of China.
The most likely frauds, however, are perpetuated in the guise of the Afghanistan carpets, particularly those with strong tribal designs, kilims that are becoming so coveted people don't mind being beguiled just so long as they look old.
When looking for antique rugs and carpets, it is best to go directly to reputed carpet dealers, even though their prices are likely to be steep.
However, much of the trade is actually in the disorganised market, and this is what makes it more difficult to track. Spreading the word that you are in the market for old carpets will bring every Kashmiri carpet dealer beating a tattoo to your door.
Yet, there are families that are still keen to rid their homes of old carpets that they have lived with all their lives, and when they are looking for newer replacements, their old offerings will probably bring you the best deals.
Therefore, it is best to spread the word amidst friends who have old, ancestral homes, with carpets made to size for their rooms. In fact, a clever pointer about old carpets is that they were ordered to size, to fit the dimensions of a room, and so were unlikely to be in today's more standard 5x8 or 6x9 sizes.
Most likely areas to search for them will be hinterland, erstwhile royal states, or the hill towns where there was a prevalence of carpet culture. Drier climates (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh) are best in terms of near-perfect storage conditions, but watch out for termite holes or even larvae eggs.
If they have been in regular use, furniture placed on carpets may have cut holes through them, which would considerably lower their value (fortunately, repairs are easy, though in turn, this would not be a good investment if you're less a collector and more an investor in antiques).
If the back of a carpet is padded, or stitched with an under-rug, have it examined for damage.
As for prices, don't expect to get antique carpets cheap. Naturally, size plays an important part, but prices are not calculated in square feet.
Instead, the workmanship, and antiquity, could merit anything from Rs 50,000 to Rs 25 lakh (Rs 2.5 million) for a full-sized carpet -- no wonder you need to be extremely careful when putting your money where your feet will rest.
