Object: Carpet - Rug

Carpets measuring approximately 5 x 8 feet were commonly used as table coverings, and almost never used on the floor of a Dutch house.    This allowed people sitting at a table to keep their legs warm in cold weather, and added color to a room.    The carpets were easily taken outside and beaten for cleaning.   In winter, putting the carpet face down on clean snow and gently beating from the back side worked particularly well.

These rugs were part of the merchant trader's ideal trade goods as they travelled around the world acquiring goods in one port, moving to another port and selling them for a profit.     Clearly the people of New Netherland valued rugs like this, as they turn up in the inventories of estates and wills regularly.

https://encyclopedia.nahc-mapping.org/document/inventory-personal-estat…