The Gentleman Magazine Issue 18 | December 2019 | Page 64

DECORATE WITH COLOUR FROM THE FLOOR UP:
THE LONDON ANTIQUE RUG & TEXTILE ART FAIR
(LARTA) BRIGHTENS THE WINTER SEASON
21-26 JANUARY 2020 AT THE DECORATIVE FAIR, BATTERSEA
Syrian Damascene Mother of Pearl Jewellery Hafiza (Safe),
Circa 1950, 1.65m high, 60cm diameter, £9000, THE
ORIENTAL RUG GALLERY Silk and Silver Thread Embroidery, 1.63m X 1.17m, Circa
1900, Zouk Mikael, Mount Lebanon, Lebanon
THE ORIENTAL RUG GALLERY
LARTA is the UK’s only specialist event for fine textile art,
antique carpets, vintage rugs and exceptional weavings from
around the world. The Fair returns for its annual staging from
21-26 January 2020, held on the mezzanine at the Winter
Decorative Fair in Battersea Park, London. Between the 18 experienced dealers at the Fair, buyers can
choose from an unparalleled array of woven works of art and
textile treasures. For the floor, find rugs and runners of every
shape and size, and in a fabulous range of styles from different
cultures: deep pile mats and room-sized rugs from China and
Tibet; traditional, richly-coloured carpets from Persia and the
Caucasus; flatweave stripes and boldly-patterned kelims from
Turkey and Morocco.
This year, LARTA has more exhibitors than ever, and several new
participants: Villa Rosemaine, one of France’s most important
dealers in museum-quality antique textiles, costume and
iconic couture; Bertram Frauenknecht of Istanbul exhibiting
early and rare eastern tribal rugs; Emily’s House London with
vintage Moroccan carpets, Berber rugs and ethnic kilims, and
Oriental Rug Gallery of Haslemere offers rare rugs and textiles
alongside beautiful Islamic works of art.
Returning to the Fair is Ornamentum Ltd with fine antique
Persian carpets and rugs, furniture and decorative art, joining
regulars such as Hakiemie Rugs Ltd, specialist in tribal
weavings, Peta Smyth Antique Textiles with European textiles
of the C16th to C19th and textiles from further afield intended
for the European market, and Galerie Arabesque of Stuttgart,
with specialist expertise in Balouch and Turkoman pieces,
kilims and textiles, Asian works of art and other artefacts.
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Embellish any area of a room with embroideries such as
suzanis, tapestries, decorative textiles and cushions, wall-
hangings, costume and adornment. Smaller furnishing items
from associated traditions can also be found: inlaid Damascene
tables, traditional enamel and silver, ethnic carvings and
metalwork from India, and beautifully-worked leather goods
from Eastern and Asian cultures.
Currently on-trend are Swedish flatweave rugs in pretty ice
cream shades, folk art carpets bedecked with animal and
botanical motifs, flame-edged ikat patterns, and stripes: in
kelims, dhurries from India and durable jajims from Persia
(used as covers and storage bags in nomadic homes).
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