Collector's Items

Collector's Items

I've been saying for quite a while that I'll be selling some items from my personal collection, and that time has finally come. I've moved from a house to an apartment, so cannot use all of my favorite personal pieces - which is my loss, but your gain. These are the rugs that I bought to sell, but then could not part with, until now. These are the kind of pieces that rarely come on the market any more; I fear the women who made them are literally a dying breed. I have found some smaller, more recent pieces finely made, so the skills aren’t entirely gone, but it seems people don’t take, or have, the time to make large pieces like many of those below. I think you will enjoy just looking at them, and some of you may want to give them a new home. Nearly all are flatweave from the Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco (others are noted) and they are wool with white designs usually in cotton; a few bright highlight colors may be acrylic yarn. The prices are often more than on my other pages, but that's because these really are unique items, many antique (one below has a 1931 date on it), that you would be very unlikely to find today.

Prices for all items include shipping in the US; others can inquire to my email below. Ordering instructions are at the end of these pages.

Click on the photos for a larger picture.

Piece 9.0538D is what I call my "Mohammed the Fifth" rug, because the friend I bought it from in Midelt said it was once used at an occasion where the current King of Morocco's grandfather sat on it. It is flatwoven with a dark ground, hard to find in these rugs, and an overall design of diamonds and chevrons. The designs have touches of soft pink and orange and olive green. In the close-up you can see how detailed the weaving is. The size is about 3.5 x 9.5 feet (107 x 290 cm) and the price is $2800.

Piece 9.0561D is unusual in that the white design is executed in natural wool, not the usual cotton, making the appearance softer than usual. The photo reminds me of a painting. The color combination is also unusual, with a soft violet, and smaller bands in pale gold and sage green. I wonder if they may be natural dyes, but don't really know. This flatwoven piece has been repaired expertly, also unusual in Morocco, so the violet varies in color; you can see this in the close-up near my small finger, and in other spots where the color is darker. Also notice the small designs scattered through the plain bands. It measures about 5'3" x 10' (160 x 305 cm) and costs $4500.

Piece 9.0554D is probably the oldest in this collection. It has a date of 1931 embroidered at one end, in what looks like warp wool, not a modern addition. You can see the embroidery wool especially well on the back. Another clue to age are the small sequins and shiny silk used to decorate it, which you can see in this close-up. Neither has been available for many years. Except for the colored silk and white cotton tufts, the rug is a flatweave with wide design bands and plain bands in red, gray, rust and black. You can see those colors and the intricate designs in the close-up, and this photo with the front and back shows the color is not faded at all. It is in excellent condition and a large, museum quality piece, measuring about 6' x 12'8" (183 x 386 cm) and priced at $4800.

Piece 9.5169 is a very finely woven flatweave rug with plain bands in a brick red-orange, deep blue and green, and intricate design bands plus added vertical bands. The very fine detail in the weaving can be seen in this close-up. The lacy diamonds remind me of the tatoos some older Berber women have, and the small ones of jewels. When I bought it in the 1990s I was told it was 50 years old and made by a woman for her wedding. I'm not sure that's true...but I like the story. The size is about 4'9" x 9'3" (145 x 282cm) and the price is $3300.

Piece 9.0530D is one of the few rugs with pile or knots among these collector's items. It is a Glawa rug from south of the High Atlas Mountains, and contains three types of weaving: flatweave (the black and white bands), pile ( the red and gold) and twining (the patterned black and white). You can see the twining clearly near the fingertips in the close-up, and also the touches of blue in the rug. While it is very difficult to date rugs, I haven't seen these colors used this way for quite a long time. The nearly square shape is unusual, as you can see from the rugs above. It measures about 4'9" x 6'10" (145 x 208 cm) and costs $850.

Piece 9.5239 is another Zayan carpet, this a bit larger and with more colors, and a fully red back. (The darker areas are shadows from trees.) I love the warmth of that red in a room; it reminds me of a fire. In the close-up of the front you can see the colors better: black, white, red, orange, and a soft gold and green. They barely show through on the back. This rug measures about 6'4" x 10' (190 x 305 cm) and costs $2200.

Piece 0.112838 is an antique classic Zemmour piece, the kind you rarely find any more. The size is made for a traditional room, and the color a rich maroon with design bands in black, white and orange, which you can see on the overview. The work is very fine and regular. The gold tufts, which you can see best on the close-up (click the small photo), are probably silk, something else you don’t find in Moroccan rugs any more. This piece measures 5’8” x 9’8” (173 x 295 cm) and the price is $1800. SOLD

However, I am including it here because this style of rug is easier to find in fine antique pieces than the others above, so I could shop for one if you wished; I have done so successfully for others. Just email me at the address below.

Runners

The pieces below were originally made as tent walls, let down to keep in the warmth, and raised to let in the breeze. Given the beautiful designs, you could also think of them as "tent wallpaper." Rug merchants in Morocco will tell you they are runners, but since traditional Moroccan homes had rooms grouped around a courtyard, there were no halls needing runners. However the proportions work well for our halls.

Piece 9.0552D has an overall diamond design in red, white and green with touches of blue, and although I bought it (not new then) about 20 years ago, it's still in mint condition. Such overall designs with much white are a characteristic of the Azrou region of the Middle Atlas Mountains. You can see the fine weaving better in this close-up. It measures about 2'8" x 11'2" (about 79 x 340 cm) and costs $2100.

Piece 9.0548D has a classic chevron design with the individual strips in varied patterns. There are some repetitions, but the strips between those vary; I could look at this for hours. It's in the hard-to-find brown/red and blue with gold accents, characteristic of Beni Mtir rugs. It's a full piece, just folded by the wind in this photo. This close-up shows the pattern better and also the full bottom end, and this one another unique characteristic: some of the warp threads are on the face of the runner. This is not due to wear; you can see how it lies over the white design near the bottom finger in the photo. However it does have a defect, which is the hole visible at the left end. Because of this, and two tears in the bottom apron (on top right), the price of this item is low for the antique piece that it is. Instead of repairing the hole, another option would be to cut off the end with the hole, make that into a pillow and put fringe on the rest, making a shorter runner. The size is 2'10" x 11'9" (86 x 358 cm) and the price is $1200.

Piece 9.6659 is a good runner for a dark hall with its mainly white background. It is accented in jewel-like primary colors, seen clearly with the intricate detail, in this close-up. The bottom end has the same pattern as the top, plus a black fringe; I bought it new about 25 years ago. It measures 3'2" x 10'2" (96 x 310cm) and costs $1500.

Pieces 9.5207 are shown larger than the others so you can see the detail. However you can see it even better in this close-up. It was a very sad day when I discovered this gorgeous long narrow piece had been water damaged in my storage area. The colors had run in from the edges in scallops, so I saved what I could by cutting it. While the white is predominant, you can see a soft red and orange in the close-up, and notice above the sage green outlining the diamonds, clearest in the pillow pieces on the left. The long piece would make a stunning runner; the sides just need to be bound; the ends are intact. It measures 21" x 13'9" (53 x 419 cm) and costs $1700.

The pieces which with backing would become pillows, or could perhaps be made into coverings for chair seats, range from the largest at 13" x 24.5" (33 x 62 cm) to the smallest (on the top right) at 15" x 16.5" (38 x 42 cm).They cost $70 each.

The runner and each piece can be purchased separately.

To Order

To order something from Marrakesh Express, click here. Please do NOT send payment until I have assured you via return email that it is available, since sometimes things sell quickly.

Because it's difficult to fully appreciate a piece without seeing it and how it fits into your own setting, refunds (less the cost of mailing and handling) are guaranteed for pieces that I have here in the US which are returned in their original condition .

If you want to have me shop for you for specific items, or have any questions, send me e-mail at sdavis@uslink.net .

Marrakesh Express