Antique Art Deco Wool Runner by Rug & Kilim, France, 1760-1779

Details

Description

Hand-knotted in fine wool and originating circa 1760-1779, this 4x9 antique French runner joins Rug & Kilim’s Art Deco collection. … Read more Hand-knotted in fine wool and originating circa 1760-1779, this 4x9 antique French runner joins Rug & Kilim’s Art Deco collection. It features an all-over geometric trellis of alternating floral medallions and laurel wreaths across a saturated raspberry-red ground, enriched by sage green, coral, and pale sky-blue accents.

On the Design:

This extraordinary runner reflects a pivotal aesthetic shift in European textile history, the transition from the unrestrained, asymmetrical curves of the Rococo to the disciplined, architectonic order of early Neoclassicism. Commissioned during a period defined by a renewed fascination with Greco-Roman antiquity following the archaeological discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum, French weaving manufactories abandoned chaotic scrollwork in favor of clean symmetry, structured repetition, and stylized naturalism. It was precisely this French neoclassical formalism, built upon repeating medallions, pristine grid alignment, and refined botanical wreaths—that served as the foundational visual lexicon for French Art Deco master weavers in the 1920s. Those who looked directly to late Eighteenth Century layouts to craft the opulent, structured carpets of the modern era.
The layout unfolds along a striking vertical axis of alternating geometric frames across a saturated raspberry-red wool field. Primary circular cartouches are encircled by lush, olive-green laurel wreaths or couronnes de laurier—an ancient Greco-Roman symbol of triumph, civic virtue, and eternal bloom resurrected by French court artisans to enclose central, multi-layered rose rosettes in magenta and coral. Alternating with these circular wreaths are crisp diamond lozenges meticulously constructed from delicate, sky-blue and ivory forget-me-not blossoms, enclosing secondary rosettes. Foliate garlands and leaf-and-flower joinery link the medallions vertically, balancing geometric rigor with organic grace. Preserved with eighteenth-century natural vegetable pigments, this gallery-grade runner offers an authentic bridge between Neoclassical courtly sophistication and the structured elegance of Art Deco design.

Condition:

This antique French Art Deco rug enjoys good condition for its age and origin. See less