European
Wool
NO. 34107
France, c. 1910-1919
8'2" X 11'2" (2.49 m x 3.40 m)
Log In to See Price
Available: Shipping as Soon as Tomorrow
Antique French Savonnerie Rug with Swan Pictorials & Heraldic Medallion - Rug & Kilim
Hand-knotted in plush wool in France and originating circa 1910-1919, this 8x11 antique French Savonnerie rug joins Rug & Kilim’s Jahanshah Collection as an extraordinarily rare masterpiece of European textile art. Featuring a heraldic central medallion anchored by two large, gracefully curved swan pictorials flanking a star-and-laurel cartouche, framed by a trellised star-and-rosette grid and a slate-blue laurel border.
On the Design:
Originating under French royal charter in the 17th century at a former soap factory on the banks of the Seine, the Manufacture Royale de Savonnerie created Europe’s most revered hand-knotted pile carpets, woven exclusively to furnish royal residences such as the Louvre Palace and Versailles. During the early 20th century—the Belle Époque and late Neoclassical period—French ateliers reinterpreted historic Empire-style motifs with lighter, more feminine sensibilities. This 1910s masterwork stands as a monument to that historic lineage, incorporating classical imperial iconography—most notably the swan, famously championed by Empress Joséphine as an emblem of regal purity and grace into a rare, gallery-grade floor covering teeming with historical subtext.
The visual layout is engineered around strict bilateral symmetry and axial balance, dominated by a commanding central medallion set against an atmospheric chocolate-brown field. At the heart of the medallion are two large, confronted ivory swans with swept-back wings and elegant curving necks, embracing a slate-blue circular cartouche centered by a six-pointed star and enclosed in a leafy laurel wreath. Anthemion palmettes crest the top and bottom of the medallion, while spiraling acanthus scrollwork and delicate vine tendrils adorned with dusty-pink floral blossoms radiate outward. Decorating the brown field is a subtle, geometric diaper-grid matrix consisting of repeating five-pointed stars and floral rosettes connected by dashed bar lines. Enclosing the entire composition is a slate-blue border carrying a continuous, naturalistic laurel leaf garland accented by lotus corner blocks. Altogether it’s a rug as deeply personal in its subtext as it is in the details and beauties that distinguish it in our craft—both a masterpiece and a true collector’s rug, teeming with history and culture.
Condition:
This Antique French Savonnerie rug is in great condition for its age and origin.
"Josh and his team have supported my interior design work, as well as my personal projects, for over 20 years. Their inimitable combination of creativity, personal attention, professionalism and joie de vivre are irresistible."
— Claire Fleming Peters, Fleming Peters
- Measurements: 8'2" x 11'2" ( 2.49 m x 3.40 m )
- Categories: Antique, European, The Jahanshah Collection
- Classification: Classic/Traditional, European, Floral, Medallion, Pictorial, Savonnerie, Transitional
- Material: Wool
- Origin: France
- SKU: 34107
