Aubusson Carpets and Rugs
Aubusson has had an established and renowned tradition of tapestry weaving dating to at least the second half of the 15th century. Although almost always referred to in the singular, Aubusson was not a specific workshop like Savonnerie, Gobelins or Beauvais. Rather, it was many different and competing ateliers all operating in or around the town of that name, that were collectively known as a “manufacture.” In 1743, the French government encouraged these privately owned tapestry workshops to also weave carpets in an effort to expand domestic industry as well as provide a native source to supply the burgeoning demand for carpets of the Court and nobility.
Information courtesy of Northeast Auctions, August 2005.