One-of-a-kind Mid-20th century Swedish Red Handmade Wool Rug by Agda Osterberg BB5256 6'5" × 9'1" $18,000

This mid-century vintage Swedish rug is a simple yet eye-catching abstraction of red crossed stripes over a field of the lightest beige. Vintage carpets and rugs have been handmade from knotted wool in Sweden for centuries, taking on many different forms and functions over the course of time. Vintage Scandinavian rugs woven in the traditional Oriental manner were originally brought to Sweden over trade routes as early as the early Middle Ages.

Eventually, Swedish rug-makers would begin to use Oriental rug-making techniques while incorporating themes and motifs more consistent with the artistic and cultural heritage of Sweden. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the craft was seen as being an important artistic and cultural practice throughout Sweden, and designers began to make rugs that had a broad international appeal. Antique rugs for sale from the mid-twentieth century, endorsed by such fixtures of modernism as Le Corbusier, Ray Eames and Frank Lloyd Wright, remain among the most desirable and sought after in the rug world.