Mid-20th Century Swedish Carmine, Red, Ivory Flat-Weave Wool Rug BB6883 5'3" × 7'7" $12,000

Simple yet elegant, this vintage Swedish flat-weave fully exhibits the potential of Scandinavian craft. Its face is evenly divided into rectangles which are left plain in the main field but carry geometric motifs and a pronounced carmine hue on all four borders. The proper balance between carmine and off-white ensures that the vintage rug is versatile enough to complement a wide variety of modern interior arrangements. Meticulously hand-woven of top-notch wool, the antique rug is distinguished by remarkable durability. If properly cared for, it will withstand many further years of usage with no signs of blemish.

Swedish Flat Weave Rug by Irma Kronlund The traditional Scandinavian rug is the rya, made from hand-knotted wool. Dating from the fifteenth century, the first antique ryas were coarse, long-piled heavy coverlets used by fishermen instead of furs. By the eighteenth century ryas were generally part of a woman’s trousseau and proudly displayed as important status symbols within the home. By the nineteenth century, Swedish ryas were usurped by the arrival of quilted coverlets from continental Europe and from then on were woven as purely ornamental elements.