These rugs take their place as treasures that will forever be limited by the sheer difficulties and expense of such an enterprise.
Alan Marschke's Oriental Rug Gallery in Grosse Pointe Farms ships rare, naturally dyed, hand-spun wool Oriental rugs all over the country and is a destination well worth a special trip. Credit cards are not accepted, checks only and we prefer in person business. Mr Marschke primarily services Michigan, Illinois and Ohio.
Marschke reminds us that, for all of his rugs' artistic and historical merit, you cannot escape the sheer beauty of them. They're simply the best of the best. In home consultations are available and welcome
Alan Marschke's one of less than 200 nationally certified Oriental Rug Appraisers. We provide restoration services including end over casting, reselvaging, and minor reweaving.
The rugs featured on this page are a small selection from the collections we carry. We have a great many of rugs in different styles and origins. Exclusive seller of Woven Legends Rugs, Zollanzari Rugs, EMOC Oriental Rugs, Inc., and Miri Rugs. If you see a rug that you are interested in, please do not hesitate to call us - (313) 884-1455. We can send you additional options to assist you in your selection. Mr Marschke travels so please do not be discouraged if he doesn't reply immediately. He will reply as soon as he returns.
Alan Marschke's Oriental Rug Gallery in Grosse Pointe Farms ships rugs all over the country and is a destination well worth a special trip.
Appraisal services include photograph and written appraisal document (with authorized seal) including rug identification, age, country of origin and detailed description. We provide restoration services including end over casting, reselvaging, and minor reweaving. Some simple steps such as over casting the ends of a rug to prevent further unraveling of the ends or fringes will save the piece from further damage. We will match the wool color and will do the repair work ourselves.
Alan Marschke, one of only five nationally certified Oriental rug appraisers in Michigan, will share his passion for rugs and carpets and the art of carpet making. You'll learn about the types of rug styles, the theoretical origins of pile weaving, the history of dyes, and take a closer look at today's Oriental rugs.
Traditional oriental rugs contain abrash, the striations of colors that run through terra cotta, flexing apricot and then turning russet, you see abrash, in mountain ranges, deserts, the sea, in the grains of old furniture. Look into the naturally dyed carpet and you will see the memory of it's own making, line by horizontal line.
The centuries-old techniques that were used to create textiles such as these began to die out in the 1870s and ceased to exist after two world wars. But today, less than a dozen small projects are encouraging villagers in remote rug-weaving areas to revive the long-forgotten craft. The projects are small, sometimes yielding as few as a hunderd one-of-a-kind area rugs. Alan endeavors to collect and present Oriental rugs of great spirit and integrity.
For the first time in many decades it is possible for collectors of antique oriental carpets, as well as individuals furnishing a home or business, to find beautiful, contemporary handmade carpets that are the equal of carpets woven centuries ago. The company most often identified with this renaissance is Woven Legends, whose weavings have been exhibited in galleries, museums, and showrooms throughout the world. By pioneering the use and cultivation of natural dyes since 1982, as well as re-establishing the hand spinning of indigenous nomadic wools in Turkey and elsewhere, they have heralded a return to the traditions that existed before the Industrial Revolution, when the disastrous effects of cheap synthetic dyes and machine processed yarns displaced thousands of farmers and artisans in Europe and Asia. The success of their work is expressed in artistic terms by the rugs in these places, which represent not only the best of contemporary weaving, but are among the best carpets t be woven in the past century.
Marschke knows something about textile history and how important this renaissance is. His 40-year passion for rugs has taken him to Washington, D.C., where he spent 20 years researching, attending classes, conferences and meetings at the Washington Textile Museum with the Washington Textile Group and the International Hajji Baba Society.
He is one of only five people in Michigan nationally certified as an Oriental rug appraiser by the Oriental Rug Retailers of America.
