#23741

Braided Round Carpet

American

10’ x 10’

Circa 1920s

Woolen Rags

Among the most desirable of American antique braided carpets are those with a strong circular bull’s eye design alternating light and dark rings concentrically, converging to a central disc.  This striking piece in excellent condition admirably meets all the desiderata.  

The fabric snake creates a speckled black and white disc edged in dark blue, with spreading bands in black and dark brown, thinning out slightly in width while stronger circles in lemon yellow, oranges red and a powder blue radiate outward.  The innermost black circle is dramatic.  The generally warm pattern cools off at the dark edging circle.  The transitional joins of one color to another are clear and add to the hand made character of the piece.  

The braided spiral was stitched as it was wound. One could walk the spiral into the center.  This carpet has a real three-dimensional character with the center lower, the yellow band and its surrounding rising up, and then slowly flattening towards the edges.  It is a genuinely artistic creation with an affinity toward certain Op Art circular painting of the 1960’s.  

The choice of fabric, and what is joined to what, determines the overall visual texture.  The bands spiral inwards while the colors pulsate outwards.  In many braided carpets, it is one or the other. Things fall into the center or fly outwards on many braided rugs, but not always are the two so finely balanced.  The tonality tends to the warm side, with no large cool blue bands.  The braiding gives a sparkling, mosaic-like character to the surface, especially in the two inner circles flanking the black circle.  The overall effect is bright, but harmonious, especially the soft rusts, oranges, pinks and reds.  

More recent braided carpets draw on almost limitless fabric supplies and have a more set, cut-and-dried character.  Here, there was no attempt to stretch a color by adding similar braided fabrics, yet the fabrics were chosen with care.  No two circles are identical, but certain mixture themes are repeated, with subtle variations.  Off white isn’t always white and black may be grey or patterned.  The handle is moderately heavy, unlike later rag carpets which are lighter and thinner.

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