Although the availability of beautiful, brand new rugs in unprecedented sizes and colors is enormous, some people have a passion for antique rugs.

What is an antique rug? 

Simple. The rug must be over 100 years old. Anything younger than 100 years, but not new is called "vintage."


Antique serapi, Persia ca 1870. Medallion detail. Size 8'6" x 12'7"

Web of Trust
Simplicity end there. What remains is an extremely complex and ancient business that functions in what I call a "web of trust." Valuable rugs are shipped among people who may never have even met.

Antique rugs could wind up in inventory for years. Even decades. That may be because of size, color, style. It's a tricky and risky business to manage. Therefore there are not many dealers where you can source. My guess is that about 90 percent of the antique rugs for sale are owned by a handfull of dealers.

When designers start out, they often have those dealers scratching their heads.

Odd Size
Here's an example. A few years ago, a designer came to me with a complex set of needs. She specified a rug 25' x 25' (a very odd size). The owner wanted lots of red, but tomato red, not rust, not burgundy. Deep blues were a must as were a few splashes of green. The the rug had to be antique! To top it off she wanted a "village" design, one less cluttered and formal, no medallion.

When you take up a challenge like that, you do it with the knowledge that there might not be such a rug for sale in the entire world. What dealer would have the courage and the capital to inventory such a critter?

Hence the web of trust. I have to be able to trust the dealer who claims to have that genuine article. If it gets to our showroom and is not genuine or has glaring, undisclosed flaws, then I'm out lots of shipping and lose credibility with my designer and her client. Likewise, the dealer has to trust me to properly care for the rug while in my possession and to ship it back to him in a professional way if the rug doesn't sell.

The web of trust that has characterized the rug business for thousands of years.

This venture, amazingly enough, ended happily for everyone. The client bought it and several others. Here's a picture of the 26' x 27' (not perfect, but it worked) shortly after we delivered it. It makes me smile to see it.

Believe me, it doesn't alsways end this way. I once showed six antique rugs to a client 150 miles south of our showroom and she rejected them all. That was an expensive and heart-breaking road trip.

How We Acquire Antiques at Addision Dicus
Acquisition of antique rugs is a measured cautious undertaking. If we get offered an antique rug, I take one of two routes.

If I think I can sell it, I will buy it. Unless there occurs some miracle coincidence, I'm buying it "on spec." I'll buy it because I think it's beautiful and believe that if it's in our showroom, someone, some day will love it, no matter how long  it has to hang.

If it doesn't seem right for us, I notify dealers whom I know and I again join the web of trust. If a dealer somewhere, probably New York, is interested based on the pictures I send, he might contact me and ask about the condition. Has it been repaired? Does it need repairing? Is there any rot? Stains? Based on what I report, he might buy it. Or he might want to have look for himself and he trusts Addision Dicus to professionally ship it. 

A Few That I Like
Here are few rugs that we have in our showroom in Tampa. Two are merely "vintage," but in a decade will be antiques. I hope that someone is enjoying them in their home long before then!


Anatolian runner, 5'1" x 12'7", vinatage, ca 1920.

 



Antique Serapi ca 1870. 8' 6" x 12' 7". Full view.

 


Anatolian design vintage rug ca 1920. 8' x 13’1"

 


Anatolian design vintage rug ca 1920. 8' x 13’1". Detail