It is often said that the starting point for a well-thought-out room is the floor covering. Despite the softening of demand for old-school English country house furnishings, antique carpets remain a staple of interior decoration - particularly as the polished and waxed hardwood floor is bak in fashion.
A multitude of different cultural impulses and artistic endeavour nestle together under the umbrella of the carpets and rugs market. They include the finest weavings from the traditional carpet-making centres of Persia and India, the luxurious products of the Aubusson region of France and giants of both the British Arts and Crafts and the European Modernist movements
Particularly popular are the kilims, once used by tribal communities but now decorative items for the modern home, or the large carpets produced in the 19th and early 20th century for British merchants operating in the East. These designs, often a synthesis of Persian and Indian motifs, were made to Western taste that ensures today. Among the best known are the Ziegler Mahals, named after a Manchester firm that supervised the production of carpets for export in the area around the city of Arak (Sultanabad).
Sworders have also enjoyed success selling the stylish Arts and Crafts carpets and rugs woven at the Merton Abbey Mills for Morris & Co and in Donegal, Ireland. The most striking and desirable are those by influential designers such as Archibald Knox, Charles Voysey, or William Morris.
John Black ASFAV
Director 20th Century Decorative Art & Design
John has a degree in Art History augmented by a one year course at Christies, and has 20 years auction room experience. An integral member of our team he has a broad knowledge of the decorative arts, however his principal interest lies in 20th Century Design. John runs our successful Decorative Art and Design sales, held three times a year.
T: 01279 817778
E: johnblack@sworder.co.uk
