French Art Deco Beige, Brown, Green and Orange Hand Knotted Wool Rug BB7103 6'7" × 9'7" $19,000

This light brown vintage example is one of the more modern Moroccan rugs in the collection with its minimal green stripes on an open field and minor stylized motifs in two opposite corners.

Moroccan antique rugs are made in the five regions of Morocco: the Middle Atlas, the High Atlas, Rabat, Eastern Morocco and the Atlantic plains. Retaining an authentic indigenous character and woven by Berber tribes living much as they did centuries ago, vintage Moroccan flat woven and knotted pile vintage area rugs are remarkably diverse in style, but all share the characteristics of bold color, thick shaggy pile, naive yet charming motifs and lively patterns of geometric elements.

Each tribe with its own distinct repertoire of designs and colors signify both the ceremonial and day to day life of the group. The vivacious oranges and sunny yellows in Moroccan vintage rugs of the High Atlas, the dramatic light blue and camel tones of the Rabat vintage carpets, or the neutrality of the ivory and charcoal ground Beni Ouarain vintage oriental rugs are ideal for the chic and contemporary interiors of the twentieth century.

Art Deco is a style of visual arts, architecture and design that first appeared in France just before World War I. The Art Deco movement led to a fast evolution of the rug and textile design, among other art forms. Rug design evolved from traditional floral and highly ornamental to a style of angular elegance with geometric, abstract and modern figurative motifs. The design is frequently spare, geometric, and architectural. The rugs created during this period remain elegant and refined to this day.