High-quality Vintage Art Deco Red Handwoven Wool Rug BB4964 9'8" × 11'0" $25,000

A French Art Deco vintage carpet with a subtle hi-low design. Signed in the lower right corner. An abstract geometric column design runs down the center and fans out into a horizontal stripe.

“Vintage” is a ubiquitous term frequently applied in the world of European Art Deco rugs and carpets. Vintage rugs are quite often confused with antique rugs. The difference between the two is often ambiguous. Just what is vintage and what is antique? To clarify this quandary, vintage carpets and antique oriental rugs are defined by the time they were designed and crafted; they’re generally made after 1920. On the other hand, antique carpets come from a time before then, so, generally, they were made more than 80 years ago. Age is a primary distinguishing factor, but even this a fluid one. The dividing line changes as time goes by. For example, a vintage rug will someday be an antique. Vintage carpets and rugs are often linked to the origins of Modernism, so they can be more accurately placed in this category, given the association with the cultural, philosophical, and artistic elements of this movement.

Art Deco is a style of visual arts, architecture and design that first appeared in France just before World War I. The Art Deco movement led to a fast evolution of the rug and textile design, among other art forms. Rug design evolved from traditional floral and highly ornamental to a style of angular elegance with geometric, abstract and modern figurative motifs. The design is frequently spare, geometric, and architectural. The rugs created during this period remain elegant and refined to this day.