Vintage Tribal Moroccan Wool Rug with Beige Background and Blue, Red, and Black BB5759 4'6" × 9'10" $4,000

This circa-1940 vintage Moroccan rug features a netlike all-over design in colors of red, blue and black, along with abstract patterns decorating the surface. It’s a simple yet intriguing minimalist statement. Vintage oriental rugs have been woven by the indigenous people of Morocco since the Paleolithic Era. Traditionally, Moroccan rugs have been woven by tribal peoples for their utility rather than for decorative purposes.

Moroccan antique oriental rugs experienced a growth in popularity in the West with mid-century modern designers – such as Le Corbusier – who paired the thick piled Berber rugs with their sleek furniture. Many of these Berber carpets are woven by the Beni Ourain peoples from the Rif Mountains near Taza. Colors vary from neutral shades to bright, eye-catching hues, with designs ranging from ordered geometric shapes to a more free-form pattern. Part of the appeal to the modernists is the primitivism in the carpets, making it fit wonderfully with modernist themes.

From versatile flatweaves to shaggy hand-knotted area rugs or runners, Moroccan rugs are both decorative and functional. They are valued for their technical qualities, expert use of fibers, great tensile strength, and abrasion resistance. Without a doubt, the original tribal Moroccan rugs from the Doris Leslie Blau collection bring character and a touch of worldliness to an interior.