Antique English Axminster Abstract Bold Handwoven Wool Rug

An antique English Axminster Carpet with a symetrical design that features overlapping paisley shapes. Camel, moss green and ivory on a rust field within a multi stepped border. This has been size adjusted.Some of the most famous Axminster carpetswere designed by renowned architect and furniture maker Robert Adam. The elegant European carpet he designed for Harewood House circa 1770 currently resides at the Metropolitan Museum is not dissimilar to the Lansdowne carpet, circa 1775. They both employ classical motifs based on the antique finds at Herculaneum and Pompeii in the late 18th century. They share a sense of orderly symmetry in the overall design using Palladian elements such as columns, pediments, architraves, trophy compartments and a string of bell flowers along with classical masks. The Axminster large area rugs for living room he designed often mimicked the plasterwork of the ceiling above. He used nearly garish intensity of colors which have faded over time.