When visiting Rome, it’s a sin not to drop by one of its most famous parts – Vatican. Despite being considered to be world’s smallest country with an area of only 44 hectares and little over 1000 citizens, Vatican has a considerable influence in Europe, due to it being the Pope’s residence. A specialist rug dealer in oriental and western rugs and carpets, Doris Leslie Blau’s impressive collection of antique rugs include rare Turkish, Persian and Indian masterpieces, many of which date back to the Medieval Age. Some of these rugs are so rare that no more than a few exist in the entire world.
Doris Leslie Blau has always tried to bring the charm enclosed in antique rugs closer to people, closer to you. We opened our vintage rug shop in multiple locations in order to let you experience the sheer beauty of antique, vintage Persian, oriental area rugs and carpets with your own eyes and hands.
Exclusive collection of antique, vintage, Persian rugs for sale including our famous collection of 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. We invite you to view the largest collection of antique carpets and rugs for sale.
This tiny country is famous not only thanks to its unique state and history, but also fabulous architecture. You can find there Europe’s finest artworks, made by masters of old such as Michelangelo or Nicola Salvi, but be sure to prepare yourself for enormous crowds that visit Vatican each year! We are proud that Doris Leslie Blau is among those who ship their fine rugs to this legendary city.
About us
In order to deliver you best antique and vintage carpets, 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!
Since our creation in 1965, Doris Leslie Blau strives to deliver best quality antique carpets and vintage rugs, while keeping our service standards as high as possible. Our gallery, located in New York City, is home to some of the most spectacular Oriental, European and Persian carpets. Living in the very heart of New York provides us with unique and modern perspective on carpets, which ensured our position as one of the top antique rug dealers. Seeing our antique carpets in the rooms of awarded designers is an everyday occurrence, as many of our clients are among Architectural Digest’s “Top 100 Designers” . We have also established ourselves as the leading source of fine new and custom rugs based on patterns by many well-known contemporary designers, including Miles Redd and Bunny Williams.
Nader Bolour
Doris Leslie Blau Gallery’s owner, Nader Bolour, is widely known as a talented designer and ingenious businessman. After his family established the Bolour&Sons enterprise, he quickly gained recognition as one of the most distinguished rug dealers worldwide. Nader’s first meeting with Doris Leslie Blau, a great connoisseur of antique Oriental large area rugs, marked a beginning of a new era in rug industry. Few years later, when the two of them met again, they formed a partnership. Nader purchased Doris Leslie Blau Gallery in 1997. 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. Whether you seek a rug from Nader or you desire his original design, you can rest assured that he is prepared to deliver a bit of soul to your home.
History
Even in the ancient times Vatican was considered to be a place of an importance. The name itself was already in use in the times of Roman Empire, when Agrippina the Elder decided to drain this swampy area, which was later used as a place for gardens and a circus for charioteers. Before that, it was a place considered sacred, as it contained a shrine dedicated to the Phrygian mother-goddess Cybele and her mythical consort Attis. Vatican became an official seat of Popes in the 14th century, when they came back to Rome from Avignon in France. Italian rulers gladly gave their land away to the Pope and soon the Papal state grew considerably, covering a large portion of the Italian peninsula, for more than a thousand years. In the mid-19th century, majority of that territory was taken back by the newly created Kingdom of Italy, during the capture of Rome. At the time of World War II, Vatican remained neutral in order to avoid being seized by the forces of Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini. Despite the fact that German troops occupied the city of Rome after the September 1943 Armistice of Cassibile, Vatican City’s neutrality was respected.
Things to see in Vatican
According to statistics, Vatican City is visited daily by around 17000 people and not without the reason. After all, it is a home of some of the greatest art known to the world. Tourism and pilgrimages are an important factor for this country, as they provide it with majority of their revenue. The Pope’s public open-air Masses in Saint Peter Square draw gigantic crowds to Vatican, composed mainly of pilgrims from all around the world and citizens of Rome., the Vatican was added by UNESCO to the List of World Heritage Sites in 1984. It is the only one site that consists of an entire country and is registered with the UNESCO as a center containing monuments in the “International Register of Cultural Property under Special Protection”. The Sistine Chapel is famous for its frescos, which include works by Perugino, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Botticelli as well as the ceiling and Last Judgment by Michelangelo. Artists who decorated the interiors of the Vatican include Raphael and Fra Angelico. Vatican’s Museum also contains numerous works of art, but the city itself is also a masterpiece. Iconic St. Peter’s Basilica was worked on by such famous names as Bramante, Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta, Maderno and Bernini, is a renowned work of Renaissance architecture. You cannot be to Vatican and not see the Fontana della Pigna, a stunning fountain and an impressive example of Italy’s technological thought.
Vatican’s charm is almost impossible to describe in words. It could be compared to an antique Oriental rug – at first it captivates you beauty, but keeps you with its history. Here at Doris Leslie Blau we would like to encourage you to browse through our website and indulge in the most relaxing carpet shopping experience. Our carefully designed tools and filters will help you to find the rug of your dreams and the diversity of our offer will satisfy even the most demanding connoisseurs and designers.