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Rug

1930 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This hand-knotted wool rug was designed by Serge Chermayeff (1906-1996) for the Wilton Royal Carpet Factory in 1930. The abstract design includes the artist’s initials halfway down the right side of the rug.

Chermayeff was a Russian emigré who worked in London. Together with the French furniture designer Paul Follot, he became head of the Modern Art Studio attached to the London department store of Waring and Gillow. As an architect, Chermayeff joined the Mars Group and helped to popularise the modernist style in buildings and interiors. He also collaborated with Erich Mendelsohn on the De La Warr Pavillion at Bexhill in East Sussex.

The Wilton Royal Carpet Factory was established in the early 18th century. In the 19th century it worked under contract for Morris and Company. During the 1930s the firm commissioned designs for carpets and rugs from a number of leading artists.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Hand-knotted woollen pile on a jute warp
Brief description
Hand-knotted wool, England, 1930.
Physical description
Rug with a central design of overlapping curved forms in black and pale pink on a cream ground. Initialled in black in the pile on the right of the design.
Dimensions
  • Bottom width: 1390mm
  • Top width: 1400mm
  • Proper left length: 1990mm
  • Proper right length: 1980mm
  • Weight with roller weight: 20kg
Style
Summary
This hand-knotted wool rug was designed by Serge Chermayeff (1906-1996) for the Wilton Royal Carpet Factory in 1930. The abstract design includes the artist’s initials halfway down the right side of the rug.

Chermayeff was a Russian emigré who worked in London. Together with the French furniture designer Paul Follot, he became head of the Modern Art Studio attached to the London department store of Waring and Gillow. As an architect, Chermayeff joined the Mars Group and helped to popularise the modernist style in buildings and interiors. He also collaborated with Erich Mendelsohn on the De La Warr Pavillion at Bexhill in East Sussex.

The Wilton Royal Carpet Factory was established in the early 18th century. In the 19th century it worked under contract for Morris and Company. During the 1930s the firm commissioned designs for carpets and rugs from a number of leading artists.
Bibliographic reference
Samuels, Charlotte. Art Deco Textiles. London : V&A Publications, 2003. Plate 115.
Collection
Accession number
T.157-1978

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Record createdOctober 2, 2002
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