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.
This section updated 30/7/2021.
Jozan is the most important rug weaving village in the fertile valley well known for its raisins as well as their fine rugs. According to the Swedish specialist dealer Peter Willborg, locals say the special water quality of the area imparts an extra lustre and softness to its wool. This little gem of a rug, very finely knotted at 255/sq inch has a rich sheen from its glossy pile, all dyed with natural dyes. The main border features the grapevine design, unique to the area.
In excellent, untouched and original condition throughout, this rug has probably never been on the floor, perhaps instead displayed on a wall or maybe even carefully stored away in rug chests, taken out only when distinguished visitors required appropriate seating.
€1200
The rugs woven in Bidjar town and surrounding villages are among the most densely packed, robust a pieces woven in Persia. The 2-3 wefts are packed extremely heavily, yielding a weave so tight that it's hard to roll an old Bidjar. Another characteristic is the often slightly crooked shape, due to the primitive type of wooden looms described by Cecil Edwards in his 1950's work The Persian Carpet.
This high quality "poushti" or seating mat has a knot count of 225/sq inch, in perfect condition with original ends and sides. Natural dyes, no repairs, ready to use as a lovely wall hanging or floor rug.
€SOLD
Few early 20th century Teherans surface in the international trade, never having been made in large numbers and usually bought up by wealthy buyers from the city. Similar to Kashans and Sarouks, Teherans usually feature a lovely pale sky blue colour, together with a warm apricot yellow and reds dyed from cochineal as well as madder.
This very pretty, finely woven rug with a knot count of 320/sq inch features a high quality lambs' (kurk) wool with a sheen often mistaken for silk. In excellent condition throughout, repair free, ready to go either as a beautiful wall hanging or on the floor in elegant surroundings.
€SOLD
Finely woven, small rugs around 1 meter square were woven by several Turkoman tribes. They are usually well above average in terms of quality, choice of wool and dyes, suggesting they were woven for a special purpose. The strongest theory is that they were given to the bride upon which she would sit, receive well wishers and accept dowry and gifts.
Several other examples are published, a very similar piece shown at the London exhibition by Bernheimer, Oriental Carpets and Textiles, 1987, plate 37. This example is in perfect, original condition throughout, incl kilims, side cords and full pile, free of repairs.
€2200
This beautiful, and unusual, Tekke "Bokhara" rug has spent most of its life to date on the wall - on this image you can see the stitch for the back webbing along the top kilim end. Probably never walked on, it is in totally original, untouched condition throughout with full pile, original side cords and complete kilims, woven on a warp of wool and goats' hair, free of repairs. A rare feature is the variance in design along the top and bottom end border, something you normally associate with the "ensi" group of Turkoman tribal rugs. A gem!
€SOLD
An attractive and highly decorative example of the pictorial rugs made in Paotou around the end of the 19th - early 20th C, packed with ancient Chinese symbols and motifs to ensure growth, prosperity, happiness, etc, for its owner. All dyes except tiny details in bright pink are natural, the full pile of glossy wool very pleasant to handle. For further info on this piece click Recent Acquisitions and scroll down.
€1750
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
Jozan has the reputation of employing the best, most lanoline rich wool in the entire Hamadan province and the double wefted structure and fine weaving standards are equally held in the highest regard. This beautiful little rug glows like silk, with a knot count of 156 pr sq inch and in perfect, original condition throughout. Gorgeous natural colours and repair free. For further info on this piece, click Recent Aquisitions, and scroll down.
€SOLD
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
A truly beautiful 19th C Baluch rug with beautifully drawn design and exceptional quality wool and natural dyes. Of good age the weaver has avoided cluttering the design, the white blossoms really making a decorative statement. The change of blue (abrash) changing about two thirds up the field adds a genuine sign of good age. It was sold by the gallery in 1991 and has now found its way back to stock, having lived on the wall since that time. In excellent condition throughout.
Jeff Boucher in his important work "Baluchi Woven Treasures" feature an almost identical piece on Pl. 6.
€SOLD
Ensi was a dowry rug woven with the specific purpose of covering the open tent door in a Yomut yurt (tent) during the wedding festivities. Usually finely woven, these beautiful rugs were never in use on the ground for as long as they remained as family dowry heirlooms, perhaps only displayed on the wedding anniversary. This beautiful, early example with its bold "eagle" border end panels is in excellent condition throughout, full pile showing no wear, original ends and much of the side-cords (one side has been partly rebound but as original). One of the best Yomut Ensis I have come across in a while, ex Swedish private collection.
€SOLD
At first glance this highly decorative rug is clearly a Baluch weaving, until you look more closely at certain weave, dye and design features. Kurdish and Baluch groups lived and migrated in close proximity in this area and often "borrowed" rug design ideas from each other. Kurdish features in this rug include the use of brown wool and goats' hair in the structure, the very elaborate kilim ends usually seen around the Kurdish rugs from Quchan, plus the subtle use of a lovely green colour rarely seen in true Baluch rugs. In very good condition showing only slight, overall wear plus some minute repairs to the kilim ends.
€SOLD
A charming rug of a well documented group with good, natural colours, lanolin rich wool and solid workmanship. In very good condition with near full pile throughout, original side cords and end finishes. Some minor securements to the kilim ends and overbinding in spots on side cords have been undertaken since photography.
Ref: T. Runge, One Woman One Weft, Pl. 21
€SOLD
This finely woven Baluch rug has probably been kept in the family stock of continental dealers, some of whom have a habit of building up massive stocks but asking prohibitively high prices, hence some lots remain in stock without exposure to wear or light for generations. There's no doubt of the age looking at the dyes (all natural) and the high wool quality, plus the very fine knotting that you rarely see in later examples.
Virtually unused, the rug is in full pile, with its original end kilims and side cords intact, free of repairs or damages. Note the decorative end panels which is less common in Baluch work. A great rug for a busy spot in the home, set to last for another couple of generations.
€SOLD
A beautiful and rare Caucasian prayer rug, woven at a time when village rugs were woven properly, each one a unique piece featuring local traditions and symbolism. The green ground is very rare - I can't recall seeing a green ground piece of this group - and to add interest there is a human male figure in the center.
This is a highly collectible work of woven folk art from the Caucasus, ideally for display on a wall but still in good enough condition to serve on the floor. Original side cords and slightly low, even pile throughout, 1-2 knot rows missing at the short ends but now secured. A gem of international collectors' interest.
€6400
This beautiful piece features a center field design reminiscent the early "double entrant" design pieces with a prayer mihrab at each end. The field and "calyx" border both feature a variety of zoo-morphic motifs but the main feature, the large 8-pointed stars, dominate composition and also set it alive with a beautiful range of colours.
In excellent condition throughout apart from 3 minute, top quality spots of repair near corners. For further info on this piece, click Recent Acquisitions and scroll down.
€4500
A true tribal rug but woven very late if the dates can be trusted - two are back the front but one appears correct, translating to 1960. The cotton foundation tallies with the date but the dyes are all natural which is very rare for a rug that "young" - it may be the work of a family who stubbornly held on to the old dye secrets as the vast majority of rugs woven in 1960 were full of terrible synthetic colours.
The design is a wow, filled with anything you may find in a tribal environment, all designed to insure you will lead a safe, prosperous and fertile life. In perfect condition throughout, repair free with all sides and ends intact and untouched. Ex a Swedish private collection.
€2300
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.
€2200
A beautiful 19th C Baluch rug of great character, originality and presence. The narrow outlining in brown has corroded slightly, creating a relief effect in the design that you often see in really old examples. The general pile is still very good, meaning the rug can well be used on the floor. The end kilims are beautifully woven, the lower one showing some minor damage which has since been restored. Original side cords and no other repairs. For a vaguely related example, see J. Boucher - Baluch rugs, pl. 11.
€SOLD
A robust, tightly knotted and decorative "Bokhara" rug, in excellent condition throughout apart from missing 2-3 knot rows at each short end. Antique "Bokhara" rugs are increasingly difficult to find, still in the top ratings for furnishing purposes where they tend to sit comfortably both in classical and contemporary settings.
€1750.-
This wonderful rug is a classical example of the elegant pieces woven in this region towards the end of the 19th C. Exceptional quality, woven on wool foundation with a knot count of 269/sq inch, in perfect condition throughout apart from some minor, professionally executed, repairs to some corners, in full pile with original sides and strands of original kilims present. For further info on this piece click Recent Acquisitions and scroll down.
€SOLD
A lovely village rug of a style associated with several districts, featuring the attractive "Herati" fish and diamond design, here woven with great feel for rhythm and proportion. All dyes are natural, in good condition throughout. For further info on this piece, click Recent Acquisitions, and scroll down.
€2500
An unusual design on a Bakthiari village rug, featuring the "mina khani" floral design usually found on rugs from Veramin in northern Persia. The natural colours are pleasantly mellowed with age, giving the rug a truly antique look. In good condition apart from signs of fairly minor, old moth damage mainly near the lower right corner. Sides overcast, a few tiny spot repairs, generally in fairly good condition. For further info on this piece, click Recent Acquisitions, and scroll down.
€2300
