Aubusson Circle Carpet BB0135 13'8" × 13'8" $70,000

A circle rug – fine example from our collection of late 19th-century French country rugs on an ice blue field with the Classical central medallion with architectural elements embedded in the center, surrounded by scrolling romantic vines and bouquets of flowers.

The Savonnerie rug factory, located on the site of the present Musee d’Art Moderne, inherited its name from the soap making factory it took over at the behest of Louis XIII. From 1660 until 1743 Savonnerie was a manufacture royale, carrying out commissions for French Aubusson rugs and classical European carpets specifically designed for the Royal Palaces. In the 1770s, the tapestry looms at Aubusson in the Creuze Valley near Limoges were converted to produce flat-woven rugs and antique oriental rugs under royal warrant.