$584 · Chobi Ziegler Hand-knotted/Handmade Afghan Rug/Carpet Traditional Authentic

In 1883, Ziegler and Co. of Manchester, England established a Persian carpet manufacturing company in Arak (Sultanabad), Iran, employing designers from major Western department stores, like B. Altman & Co. and Liberty of London, to modify fanciful 16th- and 17th-century Eastern designs for the more restrained Western taste. Using highly developed dying techniques (which Ziegler futilely attempted to copyright) and the best artisans from the region, Ziegler created rugs with bold, all-over patterns and with softer palettes than the more vibrant Persian counterparts. Ziegler rugs developed an almost immediate following, especially among new Western industrialists; early collectors included the Guinness family, the owners of the stout-beer brewery, who laid them in Elveden Hall, their estate in Suffolk, England.