Art Deco Orange, Beige and Brown Hand Knotted Wool Rug BB3972 8'2" × 11'9" $50,000

An early 20th century French Art Deco area rug, the field with blurred vertical bands in caramel, gray, saffron and brown beneath a beige grid pattern overall.

Decorative antique carpets for the western market were originally made in countries such as India, Persia and Turkey. As the industrial revolution created a new merchant class, antique European Art Deco rugs were a sought-after status symbol demonstrating wealth and good taste. Watch any period film set in the late 19th or early 20th centuries and you will almost certainly see an oriental vintage area rug on the floor.