Oltenia is a region in the south-western part of Romania, well-known for the carpets and tapestries weaved using the vertical loom. All fabrics have old symbols deeply rooted in Romanian spirituality. The most popular motifs depict men or women dressed in the national costume or dancing hora (the Romanian round dance), flowers with leaves or fir trees and animals, such as birds, roosters, horses, stags and deers.
The process of creating fabric with the vertical loom starts by making the warp from long cotton yarns. Afterwards, wool yarn is weaved through the warp to create the carpet; finally, the fabric is made more compact and stronger by pounding. All raw materials used are natural and usually home-made by locals in their own yards. The wool is dyed with natural pigments extracted from plants (stems of pepper for green, walnut leaves for brown, onion leaves for beige), as well as with industrial paints (usually for shades of red and black). Our recommendation is to wash it by hand using lukewarm water with some (preferably liquid) detergent for delicates. Dry it away from harsh sunlight and other artificial heaters.
FILOMELA TIȘTERE, the artisan who crafted this wonderful rug, was born in Tismana, Gorj county. She is a well-known craftswoman and she teaches at the Popular School of Art from Târgu-Jiu. Filomela is recognized worldwide for the colorful carpets and rugs that she weaves using the vertical loom and she is attending different events and fairs in Romania and in other countries as well. She started to weave carpets when she was only 12 years old using her neighbour’s loom which she was absolutely fascinated with.
