Antique Aubusson | 248 x 149 cm | Nr. Z-3346

Lightly framed antique Aubusson, beige

Origin	France
Dimensions	248 cm x 149 cm (= 3.6952 m²)
Construction	hand-woven
Material	Weft (pile): wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) Warp: cotton
Pile height	3mm
Year of manufacture	1820
Colour	Beige
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

Aubusson is a French commune in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, in the Creuse department. Aubusson is world-famous for its rug and tapestry manufactories. Woven French rugs are also known as Savonnerie rugs, after France's most famous rug manufactory. The Savonnerie owed its name to its place of production, a former soap factory. The colours follow the taste of the 18th-century upper middle classes and were conceived for impressive, formal rooms. The design features are part of a whole interior concept: the stucco, the furniture, its upholstery and the floor were often styled to match. The medallion adorned with scrolling vines and the equally ornate corners give the piece a strong architectural structure. In Aubusson, rugs were made in the style of the Savonnerie manufactory, though often of somewhat lower quality and knot density than the Savonnerie rugs themselves. Some weavers in the Aubusson workshops, however, enjoyed such a fine reputation that they received commissions from the French royal court.

Hardly anyone thinks of France when it comes to the classic rug-producing countries. In fact, though, rugs have been made in France in the traditional way for centuries. Gobelin rugs have been produced in France since 1607, and as early as 1627 the cloth manufacturers of Aubusson were granted the privilege by Louis XIII of making rugs bearing the seal "façon de Turquie".

Aubusson rugs need to be distinguished from tapestry and Gobelin rugs. This causes confusion and is often got wrong, since tapisserie is simply the French word for rug. Strictly speaking, though, in Germany we use the term tapestry rug only for hand-woven fabrics that carry a motif (so-called pictorial rugs). This antique Aubusson is a collector's item. It is around 200 years old, which alone makes it a truly special piece. Antique rugs like this Aubusson are as sought after as ever and fetch top prices at renowned auction houses.

Pattern

A lightly suggested border frames the edge of this rug.

The background of this Aubusson is beige. The border is worked in beige and dark blue.

Condition

This Aubusson has had admirers before you. It was hand-woven around 1820 and has given loyal service ever since. The rug has tears in a few places. All in all it is still in good condition and can give pleasure for decades to come. We have not restored this Aubusson, because we feel it has a particular presence just as it is. If you would like us to, we will of course be happy to restore the rug for you.

Material

Aubusson rugs are known for their fine, flat-woven surface. They are hand-woven and consist only of warp and weft threads, so they have no thick, upright pile. The pattern is created by the coloured weft threads that are woven into the warp threads.

The weft threads of this Aubusson rug are made of new wool and at the same time form the pile. The warp threads are made of cotton.