The following is a complete listing of our Antique and Semi-antique rugs and carpets in current stock. They are arranged in order of size, starting with the smallest.
Each and every piece has been personally and carefully selected, based on 45 years of experience buying Antique rugs. I only buy exceptional pieces in perfect or near perfect condition, preferably untouched by restoration, alterations, heavy wear, artificial "antique wash" treatments or any other interference that would negatively effect value.
The quality must be top end, as must be artistic merit, visual appeal and, ideally, a degree of relative rarity within its group.
Click on images to enlarge. More images of each lot available upon request. I'm currently negotiating a number of good Antique pieces, all of which should be listed in late April.
This section updated 15/3/2023
This beautiful little piece depicts a midnight scene, with the deep blue ground and a nightingale perched at the top of the tree-of-life. Finely woven in thick, lustrous wool on a cotton warp it was the work of a settled tribal Avshari woman with a great eye for the use of colour and design.
Note also the single female human figure and two small birds, suggesting it may have been intended as a gift. The all natural dyes are superb, as is the lanolin-rich wool, condition perfect throughout with no repairs. The side cords have been overcast at some point in its later life. A rare little jewel of a late 19th C rug that can take a lot of floor wear but, being a true work of art, would achieve maximum impact on the wall.
€3800
A finely woven rug with a design and colouring often found in the Saveh region of Hamadan. The Maine rug dealer Tad Runge in his work One Woman One Weft illustrates several pieces of similar appearance and technical specifications - plates 31-35.
Good natural colours, in full pile throughout, original sides and ends present, only a couple of minute spot repairs, this rug has been well looked after by previous caretakers including wall display for the last 11 years. A decorative, attractive and inexpensive village rug from a region where nothing of note or quality has been woven for many decades.
€1500
Rug weaving in Abadeh is merely over a century old, inspired by the weavings traded in the bazaars by the various tribal groups passing through. Old examples were well made with good, natural colours and properly spun wool. The design seen here is known as "Zil-i-Soltan", a complex all over composition featuring vases filled with exotic flowers. In excellent condition throughout.
€1450
The finely knotted, high quality rugs from Jozan are renowned for their glossy wool and excellent colours. Similar to rugs from nearby Sarouk they mainly come in medallion designs, woven with double wefts but using the symmetric knot.
Jozans are hard wearing, long lasting rugs that will survive for generations if cared for properly. This charming piece of a slightly unusual size was acquired from a Swedish collection, kept in near perfect condition by its previous custodian. Note the lovely use of sky blue rosettes against the dark field colours. The late Stockholm dealer Peter Willborg illustrates a very similar example on pl 29 in his book Hamadan.
€2400
An early, rare and very beautiful Caucasian village rug from a part of the Caucasus known for some of the finest rugs woven in the region. You're looking at a piece of rare and genuine Caucasian folk art, unlike any other made, showing the weavers obvious freestyle work that gives the rug such charm. The "kufic" border is one of the most attractive in the rug world, used in several districts such as Shirwan, Leshgi and Kuba.
In excellent condition throughout, original and complete sides and ends including the kilim finishes, in full (finely cropped) pile and no repairs. Very finely woven for a Caucasian rug with a knot count of 208/sq inch. Future caretakers might consider displaying the rug on a wall where I believe it can be best enjoyed, as well as kept safe from wear and tear.
Two closely related examples published in Latif Kerimov, Russian Collections, Pl 5, and U. Schurmann, Caucasian Rugs, Pl. 104.
€6800
A beautiful Shirwan village rug of unusual design and lovely, warm natural colours. This region had a wide spread home weaving tradition prior to the Russian revolution, producing decorative, charming and finely woven examples. After the revolution private enterprise was banned and with that the whole tradition disappeared in favour of sterile, mass produced replicas employing synthetic colours and utterly sterile, predictable and designs of no collector's value. It was clearly displayed on a wall by previous caretakers, the hanging rings still present.
A very closely related example was published in Latif Kerimov's work Russian Collections, pl. 53, attributed to the village of Bijo, Aksu district, Azerbaijan. The similarities are striking, from the size, choice of dyes, use of borders and main field design. In very good, complete condition, side cords sympathetically overcast, woven short ends intact, no repairs and generally in good pile throughout. A perfect piece for wall display but also good enough for use on the floor.
€3900
This is a beautiful, quirky and very well preserved 19th C tribal rug. Woven completely from the weaver's memory it's truly one of a kind rug, full of character and artistic inspiration.
In excellent condition throughout with original end kilims and near full pile intact, side cords intact but overcast, free of repair apart from a very minor reweave to the upper left kilim corner.
For further info on this piece, click Recent Acquisitions, and scroll down.
€SOLD
This gorgeous rug is a superb example of tribal Avshari rug art at its best. The playful design, the stunning colours (most notably the sky blue), the skillful balance of empty space and tight detail, all points to a very experienced weaver.
Being finely knotted at around 132/sq inch the pile was cut thin to enhance the design - it's still in very good condition with only marginal surface wear in the centre. The original kilims are intact, as are the side cords, and there are no repairs.
The rug is in good enough condition to be used on the floor but for a 150+ year old tribal work of art of this caliber I would recommend wall display to preserve it for future generations.
Ref: James Opie, Tribal Rugs, Pl. 12.13.
€5900
A highly decorative Baluch piece with an unusual design, showing strong Turkoman influence in its use of Gul motifs down the centre. The border is also unusual, featuring a large variety of enclosed motifs without the usual vine or meander form. It also features small details in magenta silk pile so clearly the rug was made for a special occasion, most probably for dowry or wedding gift.
Purchased from a Swedish collection, the rug is in excellent condition, showing only small spots of slight surface wear, the original sides and kilim ends intact.
€2400
A typical Baluch piece with a lattice grid of "mina khani" flowers inside a powerful border, woven in high quality lanolin rich wool at a high knot count of around 145/sq inch. In near perfect condition apart from small spots of slight surface wear, the original side cords and end kilims present, free of repair. Ex a Swedish collection where it has been unused for two decades.
€SOLD
A very attractive, elegant Baluch rug with superb quality hand spun wool and perfect natural dyes, in excellent condition throughout. For further info on this piece, click on Recent Acquisitions and scroll down.
€2700
A lovely, charming and very well woven Bakthiari rug featuring the symbolic Tree-of-Life design, here symbolically supported by a pair of large birds and two cypress trees. The apparently symmetrically drawn design is full of charming, quirky details, showing the weavers' playfulness and character.
In perfect condition throughout the rug has been lovingly treated by its previous caretakers, in full pile with original ends and sides intact, no repairs.
For further info on this piece, click on Recent Acquisitions, and scroll down.
€3500
A very finely woven Bakthiari rug with a highly elegant, symmetrically arranged design, to some degree inspired by the superb and complex rugs woven in nearby Isfahan. The clear, all natural colours are typical of Bakthiar work as are most of the motifs and ornaments, yet with a knot count of almost 300/sq inch the rug it rivals the best of Persian town weavings.
In excellent condition throughout, only missing the original short end kilim at the top end, free of repairs, it's a beautiful, hard wearing and highly accomplished example of its type.
€4400
A beautiful and unusual example of the high quality rugs from Tafresh, featuring exceptional, almost silky, wool and tight weave. Most Tafresh pieces are either a 16 foil center medallion of an all-over bird and flower design - this is the first one of its kind I have come across. In full pile and virtually perfect throughout, all original.
€2800
This very attractive rug is typical of the work by the Shishboluki - the centre four armed "crab" motif with its matching halved corners is often encountered, as does the linked, flowering plants in the main border. Later examples normally appear much busier in style, the earlier examples being far more attractive in their relaxed, open style of design.
Like all tribal rugs this piece was woven entirely from the weaver's memory and hence it's full of quirky, charming improvisations. The dyes are all natural, meaning the rug can be safely washed and be exposed to light without further fading.
In good condition throughout showing only slight, even wear, original side cords and no loss at short ends other than the original kilim strands. Free of repairs and ready to go on the floor, or on a wall where its visual reward is maximised.
€2900
A good example of the characteristic three medallion design village rugs from Karadja. This one has lovely (all natural) colours, most notably the gold border and bluish green in the two supporting medallions.
Excellent wool, original ends now secured, side cords just marginally overcast, in near full pile throughout and free of repairs. A robust, solid furnishing rug that would look great in most settings, traditional or contemporary.
€2900
Rugs of this appearance were woven in a number of small towns and villages in the Mahallat region, mainly in the town of Arak.
Woven on cotton foundation with fine quality wool dyed entirely with natural dyes including a lovely soft green and ivory spandrels that lift the composition. Note the beautiful and unusual main border. In very good condition throughout it has only very slight, even surface wear, original side cords and one lower end intact, loss of 2-3 knot rows at the opposite end. A good, decorative antique rug at a reasonable price
€2400
Originally sold in our showrooms in 1999, this stunning rug was always a favourite, both from a quality and decorative viewpoint. The gracefully drawn design has many curious features such as the "vac-vac" (talking tree) motif hanging from the top of the arch, and the families of cockerel, hen and chicks at the base. The soft, pale blue colour is very rare and highly sought after, contrasting beautifully with the deeper border colours - a masterpiece of Persian rug design and understanding of harmonising colours.
Having spent much of its time on the wall the rug is in excellent condition for its considerable age, complete with original ends and sides, free of repairs apart from some minute spots of side cord binding.
€5800
A well drawn, beautifully composed Mihrab design with an attractive and unusual (for Kashan) range of soft natural colours. The flowering vase and delicately drawn sprays and tendrils are classic Kashan work. A very good rug in full pile and free of repairs apart from two minute repairs to upper left and lower right corners.
€3800.-
One of our best city rugs in current stock, this newly acquired piece has everything we look for in a good antique rug: superb design, natural colours, top class weave at over 340 pr sq inch, absolutely perfect throughout with parts of the original end finishes intact, original sidecords and full pile, free of repairs. A beautiful rug to own, suitable for floor use as well as for prominent display on a wall.
€4800.-
Some of the most beautiful Tree-of-Life rugs were woven over a century ago in Isfahan where the weaving skills and masterful designers have always been among the best in all of Persia. Although you could argue that rugs with a "mihrab" (prayer arch) were destined for use as prayer rugs, the size of most examples of this group were too large for this purpose. Instead, these pieces aimed to be exceptionally decorative and evocative, the ivory mihrab field forming the gateway to Paradise with its riches of flora and fauna to be enjoyed in the afterlife.
This finely knotted example (knot count close to 400/sq inch) is beautifully drawn, all the dyes organic, in very good, original condition throughout apart from fractional loss at the upper short end(1-2 knot rows only). It has spent most of its life on a wall where it offers maximum decorative effect as well as conservation for future generations.
€5500.-
The finest rugs from Kashan at this time were woven with lambs' wool pile ("kurk" in Farsi), a fine, lanolin rich wool glowing like silk with which they are often confused. In some rug markets they are generally named "Mohtashem" Kashan after the master designer/weaver whose signed rugs are now exceptionally rare.
This beautiful example has a knot count of 361 pr square inch or 580000 pr square meter, giving a total knot count of approx 1,6 million hand tied knots. The skilled Kashan weavers produced around 5-6000 knots pr day so for a single weaver the time to complete a piece of this quality would be around 300 days.
The rug is in near full pile throughout, side cords in their original position with some overcasting in places, both ends are intact including the original kilim at one end. There are small areas of old moth damage which have been re-piled but generally the rug is in very good condition. This is one of an identical pair, the second piece to come online shortly - they can be sold separately.
€6200
This lot is the pair to # 9178, in similar condition with intact ends and sides, reasonably good pile throughout with only small areas of slight surface wear. There are some fairly minor areas of re-piled moth damage and generally both lots are now in very good condition.
€6200
This is a curious and charming rug, woven by tribal Avshars featuring a cacaphony of tribal symbols and also (on the last count) 13 human figures. However it has a cotton foundation and not the usual Avshar wool warp which suggests it was woven by settled Avshar weavers.
You can spend a long time discovering symbols and design elements - with all the human figures, birds and animals, it's probably a dowry piece wishing the future owner fertility, prosperity and protection from evil. In excellent condition with near full even pile throughout, original side cords and traces of the original end brocading. All dyes are natural. It was acquired privately from a Swedish collection.
€3900
A very subtle, well drawn rug featuring very soft, naturally mellowed organic dyes. This pleasing soft look was created by time rather than by the aggressive, damaging chemical treatments found in the current, poorly made commercial production throughout the Orient.
The generous width makes it attractive as a furnishing rug, allowing the design to "breathe" and create calm. In very good condition throughout with its original sides and ends intact, only a few minor spots of overcasting to the side cords and no field repairs.
€SOLD
