Swedish Midcentury Light Gray, Blue and Pink Handwoven Wool Rug by “ABJ” BB5811 5'3" × 7'0" $12,000

This circa-1940 vintage Swedish rug signed ABJ features a light gray field with accents of blue and purple, surrounded by a border of solid brown and blue geometric patterns. The resulting look is minimalist and modern, representing a rich tradition of Scandinavian vintage carpets.

In Sweden, carpets and vintage area rugs have been hand-knotted in wool for centuries, taking on many different forms and functions over the course of time. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the craft was seen as being an important artistic and cultural practice throughout Sweden, and designers began to make Scandinavian area rugs that had a broad international appeal. Scandinavian antique rugs from the mid-twentieth century, endorsed by such fixtures of modernism as Le Corbusier, Ray Eames and Frank Lloyd Wright, remain among the most desirable and sought after in the rug world.