An Axminster carpet, England,

Colors in illustration are true to original with the carpet having slightly lighter colors in reality. Pile is approximately 1/6 of an inch with dark and some light browns oxidized to knotheads. Approximately 8in. by 6in. stepped reweave in lower left side of field, further vertical reweaves in lower end border. Approximately 18in. rewoven inner guard border on right side, further smaller scattered reweaves. Back has been glued as reinforcement to jute foundation. Unusuall good pile and respectable overall condition for age.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The first quarter of nineteenth century at Axminster, the preeminent English factory which had been producing carpets since the 1750s, can be characterized by the endurance of the visual vocabulary of the late eighteenth century. Elsewhere in Europe the abundant use of flowers, garlands and bouquets was considered old fashioned. They were replaced with more geometric designs that reflected the new taste of the Directoire and Empire. In the early 1800s the craftsmen at Axminster, while also executing the designs in the spirit of Neoclassicism, still often utilized asymmetric floral compositions in their works. Along with carpets designed by Adam and other progressive artists at the time, the factory produced more conventional pieces that were clearly influenced by earlier trends. The present lot is a good example of such a piece with its soft colors, overall floral design and guilloche-like double border; all of which echo the traditions of the eighteenth century. The overall floral design, which was so popular in the mid-1700s and which is used in this carpet, however, has its roots in Elizabethan-Jacobean times, when scrolling-vine and floral designs were predominant. Having an identical floral design in the border as in the field is also a trademark of early-seventeenth-century carpets that was later adapted by designers in the 1700s and into the early 1800s, as shown by the current lot. Two Axminster carpets with a similar design can be found in the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Bristol Museum, see Bertram Jacobs, Axminster Carpets 1755-1957, Leigh-on-Sea, 1970, plates 6 & 30. The Rockbeare carpet now in the Bristol Museum also has a guilloche-like border that makes the overall similarity with the present lot even more apparent, see Jacobs, op. cit. plate 30. More recently, an Axminster carpet of similar design on an olive green ground was sold at Sotheby's London, October 18, 1995, lot 236.