A small rug, imported from Greece, and featuring a red rose pattern on a tan background. This piece is handwoven from organic wool, and consists of two identically sized panels, hand-stitched together to create a larger rug. This technique was necessary due to the looming machines of the day only being able to weave a rug of a certain width, so if you wanted to create something larger you had to turn to the needle and thread.

The red roses are in an almost pixelated style – this is due to the nature of the looming machine. As a result, the rug is pleasingly imperfect. The piece is finished with a deep red meandering tower pattern, three red stripes, and tassels at each end of the rug.

This rug is not just a fantastic piece of folk art. The tradition in this part of Greece is that young girls, in preparation for their marriage dowry, must produce a huge amount of textile products with the help of their mothers and grandmothers. When the time comes to get married they display their wares to their village, taking them on a parade to their groom's house whilst accompanied by music and dance. The dowry law in Greece ended in 1982, but the tradition continues in some rural parts of the country to this day.

CREATOR: Unknown

PLACE OF ORIGIN: Greece

DATE OF MANUFACTURE: 1960s

PERIOD: 1960 - 1969

MATERIALS & TECHNIQUES: Organic wool, thread, dye

CONDITION: Good vintage condition

WEAR: Some minor wear, to be expected given a fabric of this age.

LENGHT: 180cm | 88.5in

WIDTH: 115cm | 45.2in

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