Vintage Moroccan Dark Red, Black and White Hand Knotted Wool Rug BB5758 2'10" × 6'6" $8,000

This circa-1940 vintage colorful Moroccan rug features an all-over pattern of intersecting geometric shapes in shades of red, black and white. The structured but non-linear design is perfect as an abstract, modernist statement. Vintage 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 beautiful rugs experienced a growth in popularity in the West with mid-century modern designers – such as Le Corbusier – who paired the thick piled Berber antique carpets 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.