Do you notice how this whole rug is like a game for the eyes? 

What did the rug makers intend?  I’m unsure, but this exceptionally fine, yet playful, silk rug hails from China around 1880.  The square size of the rug may represent it having been used as a table carpet or meditation rug. 

It conveys many little stories all within the same frame, using detail, characters, and the muted tones of blues, grays, oranges, and browns.  Perhaps the animals depicted even helped anyone who sat on the rug meditate to an even deeper state.  Let us enter the carnival of this rug.

One of my favorite rugs, this is a classic “Wak Wak” (pronounced “Vak Vak”) rug. Wak Wak is Persian, and when dealing with rugs, it refers to “fantasy.”

Fantasy rugs are extremely rare. They're often silk, and either from Tabriz or Heriz Iran. The history of such rugs stems back many centuries, and the quality is outstanding. Production of these carpets ceased around 1900, and they are almost never seen by the public.

There are 22 carpets that I have kept to myself over the years.  They are all rare, some are priceless, and all of them depict animals.  Although I keep them for my private enjoyment, I think it is time I shared some of them with you.

Let’s start with the most unusual carpet I have ever seen.

Its origin is a mystery.  None of the experts, including myself, can explain its colors and design.

I will never sell it.  Is it the rarest carpet in the world?  To me, it is.  Because of the animals, the colors, and especially because of the way I found it.