MAHAL
Ziegler-Mahal
Ziegler Rugs of Arak - In 1883, Ziegler and
Co., of Manchester, England, established a
Persian carpet manufacture in Sultanabad
(now Arak), Iran, employing designers from
major Western department stores, like B.
Altman 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,
allover patterns and with softer palettes
than their vibrant Persian counterparts.
Ziegler rugs developed an almost
immediate following, especially among
newly monied Western industrialists; early
collectors included the Guinness family, the
owners of the stout-beer manufacture, who
laid
