Description
Jack Franses, European and Oriental Rugs for Pleasure and Investment. London: John Gifford, 1973.
Hard cover, dustwrapper, 180 pages, illustrated.
Light wear to the dustwrapper. Very good.
‘This is the first book ever published which covers both Oriental and European carpetsfrom Iceland eastwards to China; thirty-one countries in all. It has more than a hundred carefully selected plates plus sixteen pages in colour which cover rugs from the weaving centres of the world. The book is divided into four main parts. Firstly, Carpets as an Investment and The Ten Rules for Buying (which is an excellent buyer’s guide). Secondly, a simple guide to identification giving a breakdown of each type of rug into seven parts, showing the different points to watch for when identifying rugs. Thirdly, the main section of twenty-six countries and over one hundred and twenty weaving centres, with a master key to each rug or period of weaving. Fourthly, the investment charts which show the rise in prices over the last two decades (1951, 1961, 1971). The remaining sections deal with renovations, observation and “Tips and Tests”. Being both comprehensive and yet simple to use makes this book the most important rug reference book today, not only for the layman but the experienced collector. The Author is the son of the late Sidney Franses (died 1955) who came to England in 1906 from Salonica. His family had for many generations been connected with antique textiles and Church vestments. By 1909 he had established a small business in London. After World War I, he formed a carpet department in association with Sir Duncan Watson of Berners Street London. In 1923 he was asked by the Royal Household to select two rugs and deliver them to Buckingham Palace as a wedding present to the Duke and Duchess of York (who later became King and Queen). A small presentation ceremony was arranged and in the presence of the royal couple, Queen Mary and Commander Grieg, their aide de camp, he was asked to give their full description and history. One was a fine and rare silk Shiraz prayer rug, the other a Sarouk of exceptional quality, the finest ever seen. By 1930, Sidney Franses became London’s leading expert on Oriental and European Carpets, rugs, tapestries and textiles, with superb showrooms in Bond Street.’
