Vintage Henna-Dyed Beni Ouarain Berber Rug
This small example of a vintage henna-dyed Beni Ouarain Berber rug departs from the usual type as the weavers obtained the copper-coloured background by first dyeing the wool in henna pigments. The weavers wove only the top and bottom strips of the field with two distinct shades of natural undyed wool, of a darker tonality which would normally embellish the ivory field. The rug presents a very simple yet extremely elegant composition, which the weavers imbued with special significance. The choice of a particularly soft and precious wool and the precise execution of the weave suggest that the tribal society must have commissioned this rug for a special occasion.
The Beni Ouarain confederation comprises seventeen tribes inhabiting the high mountain region of the northeastern Middle Atlas, in northern Morocco. Their rugs differ from other Berber weavings as the weavers create them almost exclusively on an ivory background and decorate them with abstract geometric motifs in undyed natural brown/black wool. The weavers typically compose the pattern of an all-over grid of lozenges with little or no variation.