Edwardian Rugs and Carpets

An antique Persian Sarouk carpet from the early 20th century. Even in the “American” style Sarouk period, the Arak province village weavers produced extraordinary medallion carpets and this example is one of them. A very complex red medallion is placed on a black ground and set within camel-tone scalloped corners. The ivory forked arabesques of the medallion are wild and strong. The materials and execution are both top grade. A real rug...

An enormous antique Turkish Oushak rug with a very interesting turquoise shade with a caramel center medallion set on a salmon ground. In pretty good condition which is uncommon for ...

An antique Persian Mahal room size carpet handmade during the early 20th century. Measures: 9' 11" x 12' 0".

An antique Turkish Oushak room size carpet handmade during the early 20th century. Measures: 10' 3" x 12' 10" Turkish Rugs Carpets: Until the Great Persian Carpet Revival in the later 19th century, the “Oriental rug” was Turkish. For nearly six centuries, Turkish rugs, both scatter, room size, and even larger, thoroughly dominated the European import market. Whereas the Persian carpet can be divided into urban, village, and tribal types, in Turkey and its predecessor the Ottoman Empire, rugs almost exclusively came from village weavers and from a small number of urban workshops. Ninety percent village, nine percent city, one percent tribal. Turkish weavers have, with very few exceptions, always worked with the symmetric (Turkish) knot. Wool foundations are standard practice among both town and village weavers. The exceptions, very finely woven 20th century and recent Herekeh silks from near Istanbul, and early 17th century Ottoman Court rugs from Bursa, constitute only a tiny part of the total. Always pricey, they appealed and still appeal to the clients who want lots of knots and perfect execution instead of individual personality. The urban workshops have been centered around the western Turkish city of Oushak and its attendant port town of Smyrna. Oushak weaves with the trends in fashion. When color saturated medallion carpets were needed, Oushak was ready in the 17th and 18th centuries. When coarse red and blue carpets...

An antique Indian Dhurrie rug handwoven with cotton from the early 20th century.

An antique Persian Tabriz rug from the early 20th century. This light toned medallion Tabriz city carpet is in a Persian size format rather than the w...

Antique Mahal carpet of large size, with all over mina khani (many flowers) design. This outstanding large size Mahal carpet has an all over floral design on a soft red ground. Th...

An antique Indian Agra large room size carpet in square format handmade during the early 20th century. Measures: 13' 8" x 13' 9".

An antique Persian Sultanabad room size carpet handmade during the early 20th century. Measures: 10' 7" x 13' 6" Persian Rugs Carpets: Persia (Iran) is a moderately large cou...

A vintage Persian Tabriz room size carpet handmade during the mid-20th century with a grey field and rust red border. Measures: 9' 5" x 12' 1" Persia (Iran) is a moderately large county with a very long history and an enormous art/craft/industry built around the handmade carpet. Until the discovery of oil, carpets were the largest Persian export. The craft goes back to ancient times, although the history is more broken than one might expect or desire. The Pazyryk rug...

A vintage Persian Kashan large room size carpet handmade during the mid-20th century. Measures: 11' 3" x 15' 6".

A Persian Tabriz carpet from the first quarter of the 20th century.

An antique Persian Malayer runner handmade during the early 20th century. Measures: 3' 2" x 12' 3".

A vintage Persian Malayer throw rug handmade during the mid-20th century. Measures: 3' 9" x 5' 1".

An antique Persian Malayer runner handmade during the early 20th century. Measures: 3' 1" x 10' 3".

A vintage Persian Tabriz room size carpet handmade during the mid-20th century. Measures: 8' 11" x 12' 0".

An antique Persian Tabriz large room size carpet handmade during the early 20th century with a tone on tone washed out appeal. Measures: 11' 2" x 14' 11".