MANSOUR

DONEGAL
Donegal is situated on the Northwest coast of Ireland. In the 1890's, light industry, in this region was depressed. A Government agency had recently been set up to improve transport and revive trade in Ireland. It was at this time that Alexander Morton (1844-1923), the founder of the Morton Weaving Company met a member of the Congested Districts board. It was later suggested and agreed by Morton, that the right conditions for carpet weaving existed in this remote part of Ireland. As an incentive the board agreed to subsidize the construction of the factory buildings.

Alexander Morton had two sons, James and Gavin, who in 1895 took over the Alexander Morton & Co. They enlisted the services of several well-known artists such as Charles Francis Annesley Voysey (1857-1941) to provide designs to be used in hand knotted carpets. They also had help from a weaver from Wilton, England to instruct new employees in the hand knotting techniques. With the high unemployment in the region they had no problem hiring suitable weavers; the wages offered were three to four times greater that had previously been paid.

As well as the designs woven suggesting the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement using flowers, the Morton carpets were also inspired by the Eastern motifs, principally Turkish and Persian. The distinguishing features of materials and structure of carpets from Donegal were that they had wool pile in the symmetrical knot. Early Donegal carpets have thick wool warps and wefts, both usually red, green and orange; and later, cotton or flax warps and/or wefts.

Liberty's was one of Morton's biggest customers, they advertised in 1897 carpets for sale described: The colorings are principally in soft shades of terra-cotta red, blue, greens, and golden browns, which became known as Donegals. Clearly originality of the designs and the international appeal make these Donegal carpets highly collectable today.

	Brussels/Dutch Tapestries
	Aubusson Carpets & Tapestries
	English Axminster
	French Savonnerie
	Donegal
	Tabriz
	Agra
	Amritzar
	Oushak
	Mahal/Ziegler/Sultanabad
	Khotan
	Serapi
	Lavar-Kerman
	Bidjar
	Fereghan

Copyright © Mansour Fine Rugs 2005;

At Mansourrug.com, we specialize in providing the finest Rug, Carpet and Tapestry Gallery in the world. Our Collection of Antique Rugs, Carpets and Tapestries are guaranteed and backed by the tradition and expertise of the Mansour name. We pride ourselves in providing the most exquisite antiques available, the highest quality customer service and care and the backing and support that has been the cornerstone of the Mansour name. Mansour's reputation and quality service are unparalleled and we look forward to serving your needs.

At Mansour, we specialize in Persian carpets and rugs, Oriental carpets and rugs, Oushak carpet rug & tapestry work, Lahore carpets & rugs, Spanish carpet rug & tapestry work, Indo-Isfahan rugs and carpets, Moghul rug & carpet work, Chinese carpet rug & tapestry work, Khotan rugs and carpets, Heriz carpet rug and tapestry work, Lion Rugs and carpets, South Caucasian rugs and carpets, Kurdish carpets and rugs, Bakshaish rugs and carpets, Qashgai rug and carpet work, Afshar carpet rug & tapestry work, Baluch carpet rug & tapestry work, Neris rug and carpet work, Sile carpets and rugs, Khilla carpet rug & tapestry work, Shirvan rugs and carpets, Karabagh carpet and rug work, Kazak rugs and carpets, Daghestan rug and carpet work, Kilim, Soumaccarpet rug & tapestry work, Vernah rugs and carpets, Koula carpet and rug work, Ghiordes carpet and rug, Konya rugs and carpets, Mudjur carpet and rug work, Melas rug carpet and tapestry work, Ladik carpets and rugs, Bergama rug and carpet work, Tekke rug and carpets, Yomut rug and carpet work, Tashkent carpets, Arabatchi, Afghan carpets and rugs, Salor, Saryq carpets, Susani rugs, Uzbec carpet rug & tapestry work, Indian carpet rug & tapestry work, Syrian carpets and rugs, Medallion carpets and tapestries, Pashmina rugs and carpets, Circular, Shaped, Silk carpet rug tapestry work, Matching carpet rug tapestry, Runner, French tapestries, Belgian tapestry, Spanish tapestry, Portuguese tapestries, Flemish rugs and carpets, Verdur, Oudenaarde, American carpet rug and tapestry work.

Mansour's Rug Gallery and Collection is the finest and largest antique Persian, European and Oriental Rugs, Carpets and Tapestries in the World.

antique carpets/rugs  |   antique tapestries  |   what's new  |   regions  |   articles  |   about mansour rug  |   contact mansour  |   links  |   mansour rug home  |  
Copyright © Mansour Fine Rugs 2005;