Fine Antique English Axminster Bold Botanic Handmade Wool Rug BB1162 13'5" × 27'9" $80,000

An early 20th century Axminster carpet from England, the shaded pastel blue and green field with flowering vinery and stylized palmette trellis overall within a red palmette and serrated leaf border.

The history of the Axminster carpet started in 1755, when Thomas Whitty opened a carpet manufacturing company in the town of Axminster, in the county of Devon. The development of carpet manufacture in England during this period was enabled by laws which were designed to promote locally produced textiles, out of concern that foreign textiles were dominating the market, particularly by the French Savonnerie antique oriental rugs. These early English Axminster rugs were hand knotted, and they quickly became the undisputed choice for wealthy aristocracy. Classical European carpets and other European rugs grace the floors of Chatsworth and Brighton Pavillion to name a few and were bought by George III and Queen Charlotte who visited the factory in the 18th Century.