Rugsville Abusson Ivory Brown Wool Carpet 8' x 10'

Ivory and brown is the quietest pairing in the European decorative carpet repertoire and also the hardest to draw well. With no contrast to fall back on, every line in the cartouche has to be confidently placed and every shift in tone has to be earned. The Aubusson workshops of central France perfected the language in the eighteenth century, and that drawing tradition is what this rug inherits.

The piece was hand-knotted in India over roughly six months by three weavers sharing a vertical loom. Hand-spun wool tied row by row against the beam in the Persian asymmetric knot over a cotton warp and weft. The dyes were prepared in small batches from walnut hull, oak gall, pomegranate skin, and a touch of madder, matured in copper vessels for two to three weeks before the wool was dipped. Walnut and oak gall produce the warm browns that age true rather than greying.

The composition

A soft ivory ground holds a central cartouche and corner pendants in walnut brown, with garland work and acanthus running between in close shades of tobacco and cream. Tone-on-tone composition reads quietly across the room and unfolds on close approach. The ivory will warm into bone over the next decade. The browns will deepen and acquire a faint russet undertone.

What you are buying

Period Aubusson carpets of comparable size and palette move through European auctions at $25,000 to $55,000 when they appear in clean condition. The construction in front of you matches that lineage, knot for knot, in the same fibre and the same dye method, redrawn for a contemporary room. The rug appreciates with use rather than depreciating; few floor objects share that property.

The piece in a room

8' x 10' (244 x 305 cm) sits well in a primary living room with cream upholstery and pale wood, in a primary bedroom under a king bed with the field showing on three sides, or under a six to eight seat dining table. The ivory ground absorbs surrounding tone, so it pairs equally well with cool stone walls and with warm plaster paint. Brass, walnut, and bleached oak all hold the palette together.

Conservation

Rotate the carpet a half turn each spring and autumn so light and footfall age the pile evenly. Vacuum weekly, suction only, with the beater bar disengaged. Blot spills with a clean cotton cloth, working inward, and never rub. Schedule a hand wash by a wool-trained conservator every five years to keep the cotton foundation supple. With this discipline, the rug runs eighty years.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted hand-spun wool on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 244 x 305 cm (8' x 10')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot
• Hands: 3 weavers, 6 months
• Pile: 10 mm
• Dye: vegetable (walnut, oak gall, pomegranate, madder)
• Origin: India

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