Do not let Belgium’s small size fool you – it is one of the most influential countries in Europe and founding member of the European Union. Bordered by, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Luxembourg, Belgium sets the boundary between Latin and Germanic Europe and was the witness to numerous battles during major conflicts such as World War II. Exclusive collection of antique rugs including our famous collection of extra large area rugs by Doris Leslie Blau. Nader Bolour the owner of Doris Leslie Blau’s rugs and carpets gallery is the largest rugs dealer in the world.
It is home to two main linguistic groups: the Dutch-speaking Flemish population and French speaking Walloons, making it one of a few a bilingual countries on the continent. Doris Leslie Blau is proud to carter to the needs of Belgians with our best selection of antique rugs and of course also contemporary rugs of all origins including vintage area rugs.
About us
In order to deliver you best antique and vintage rugs, we offer fast and inexpensive (sometimes even free!) shipping all over the world, straight from our New York City based gallery, permeated with the magic of antique, vintage and modern rugs. As always, we care about your satisfaction the most, so do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about our fabulous rug collection and shipping process. Doris Leslie Blau’s webpage offers you the ultimate shopping experience, allowing to filter through every carpet in our possession using categories such as size, color, origins and age. Moreover, if you desire something original, we also offer a possibility of ordering a custom rug, made just for your liking!
Ever since our inception in 1965, DLB’s mission is to deliver best quality antique carpets and vintage rugs wherever they are needed. Our New York City based gallery is home to some of the world’s most astonishing and beautiful antique rugs. We take a great pride in our craft, always doing our best to set the standards of an outstanding service for our clients, many of whom are among Architectural Digest’s “Top 100 Designers”. We are also a leading source of fine new and custom rugs based on patterns by many well-known contemporary designers, including Bunny Williams and Jed Johnson Associates.
Nader Bolour
With his finger constantly on the pulse of an ever-changing market, Doris Leslie Blau Gallery’s owner, Nader Bolour, is widely known as a talented designer and ingenious businessman. His family established the Bolour&Sons enterprise in the 1920’s in Iran and quickly gained recognition as one of the most distinguished rug dealers worldwide. Apart from being an exquisite dealer of rugs, Nader Bolour is a designer himself, which can be easily seen in gallery’s broad range of custom carpets, made from best materials available for its demanding clientele. After moving to London, Nader Bolour had his first meeting with Doris Leslie Blau, a great connoisseur of antique Oriental rugs in 1978. Few years later, when the two of them met again, they formed a partnership and Nader purchased Doris Leslie Blau Gallery in 1997.
History of Belgium
Country’s name was derived from its name in Latin – Belgica. Before Roman invasion, this area was inhabited by Belgae, but immigration of Frankish tribes in the 5th century caused it to become a part of Carolingian Empire later on. In the next centuries, the area of Belgium was under the Dutch influence, but during Eighty Years’ War in the 16th and 17th century, the Low Countries of which it was part, were divided into the northern United Provinces and the Southern Netherlands, which were under Spanish and Austrian influence. However, in the wake of 1794 campaign of the French Revolutionary Wars, Low Countries were annexed by the French. They were reunified in 1815 as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands after Napoleon’s defeat. Fifteen years later a revolution led to Belgium’s official creation as an independent country. In 1914, Belgium was brutally invaded by Germany as part of the Schlieffen Plan. Following the League of Nations’ victory, Belgium was granted some of Prussian territory. However, Germany struck once again in 1940, resulting in death of 40,690 Belgian citizens. After the war and abdication of unpopular King Leopold III, Belgium joined other countries of the Western Europe as a member of NATO and became one of the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 and of the European Atomic Energy Community and European Economic Community, established in 1957. Nowadays the country is an influential and respected member of European Union.
Culture
Even before being formally recognized as a country, the area of contemporary Belgium was known for its vast culture and unique cuisine. Various art movements were conceived in the country, such as Art Nouveau, initiated in the 19th and 20th century by Victor Horta and Henry van de Velde. Belgium contributed tremendously to European painting. The religious paintings of Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden, Peter Breughel’s landscape paintings and Lambert Lombard’s representation of the antique and the Baroque style of Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck flourished in the Southern Netherlands. The 19th and 20th centuries were especially kind to Belgian art, as it was when one of country’s many masters of romanticism, expressionism and surrealism emerged. James Ensor and other artists belonging to the Les XX group, Constant Permeke, Paul Delvaux and René Magritte are now names known internationally, thanks to their influence on the world painting.
Belgium made a name for itself as a country loving both science and art. Thanks to the country unique approach and rich historical traditions, it is sure to remain one of major European powers. We are grateful for the possibility of delivering our exquisite collection rugs of all origins and ages to Belgium’s citizens. If you are interested in purchasing a high quality rug from Doris Leslie Blau, be sure to visit our webpage, where you can comfortably browse through available pieces. For those most demanding we offer the possibility of ordering a custom carpet, created just for you of high quality materials! If you happen to have any questions or doubts, our qualified staff would be more than happy to help or advise you.