Mid-20th Century Swedish Yellow, Brown and Ivory Flat-Weave Wool Rug BB5062 5'6" × 7'10" $18,000

A mid 20th Century Swedish Flat Weave Rug with a layered design. A chocolate brown linear grid overlaps a diamond motif on a striped field of yellow and ivory.

Although the designs of antique and vintage Scandinavian rugs were originally inspired by imported textiles, they gradually developed into an innately northern expression. Simple geometric patterns and vignettes from everyday life such as bouquets of flowers, a child’s sampler or a pet dog were incorporated into flat woven tapestries or Swedish pile vintage area rugs and antique carpets, adding charm and immediacy to this folk art.

A fresh and appealing aesthetic was sustained during the first half of the twentieth century by the weavings of the celebrated Swedish carpet designer Marta Maas-Fjetterstrom and her circle. The simplicity and purity of design in vintage Scandinavian rugs gives them an immediate relevance and contemporary desirability.