Six collectible early Fette rugs with original catalogue and tags

Two 4'x6' and two pairs of identical oval 3'x5'; wool pile over cotton foundation.

Purchased in Peking about 1922 by a marine officer stationed there between 1919 and 1925 and passed on to his niece in the 80s, and recently to her husband. The rugs have been preserved with loving care in almost original condition.

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Fette and the closely related Nichols rugs were the products of American entrepreneurs Helen Fette and Walter Nichols who set up workshops in China in the 1920s. These rugs became famous for their quality and their designs, which integrated Western, especially art-deco, style and colors with traditional Chinese elements. The names Fette and Nichols have become synonymous for Chinese rugs with this style, and there have been many cheap imitations. The original Nichols rugs were identified by the stamp 'Made in China by Nichols' on the kilim at the end of the rug, while Fette rugs were identified by tags. Unfortunately, these proofs of authenticity very rarely survived over time.

The set of amazingly well preserved Fette rugs offered below exhibit the excellent workmanship which earned Fette rugs their reputation--dense pile, soft wool, harmonized colors, and lovely art-deco style adapted to Chinese design and motifs. This is unmistakable in the two larger rugs, with designs borrowed from classic Chinese art, the stylized rendition of the ubiquitous Chinese lotus motif in one pair of oval rugs, and the daily scenes typical of Chinese paintings depicted in the other pair of oval rugs.