Viennese Carpet, 1910

This carpet is a Classic example of a piece designed and woven following the progressive trends in the European decorative arts during the first years of the twentieth century. With its elongated linear drawing, this piece is closely related to the designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Otto Prutscher and members of the Austrian Wiener Werkstätte, such as Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser. While the soft colors and the geometric grid-like layout are more reminiscent of those favored by Mackintosh, the empty field, the more organic floral elements and the dominant border are characteristics of many weavings produced during the Secessionist period in Austria.