Pair Century-Old Rag Rugs, Hand Loomed, Canadian, Mint Lot 2

Melrose MA

26 November, 2020

2:20 AM

Description

Pair of Antique Century-Old Rag Rugs, Hand Loomed, Canadian, Mint Condition Lot 2These are two rugs, scatter or throw in size, that are being sold as a pair. They are hand-loomed and in mint condition, never having been used or walked upon. They come from the village of Cacouna, located in the northern part of the Province of Quebec (126 miles North of the City of Quebec) in Canada. This is their provenance as told to me by my mother. The rugs were loomed by the women of the village who gathered to pass the time when snowbound during the winter months (the snow was so high, you often had to exit your home from the second floor). The rugs come from my great Aunt, Victorine Martin, who was a member of the group and who’s home was large enough to hold multiple looms in a single room. They were originally loomed in lengths of up to fifty feet. [I still have a few of the uncut rolls.] In the mid, to late 1940s my mother regularly traveled to Canada to care for Victorine in her old age. During that time some of the rolls – never having been used -- were partially cut up, fringed, and given to my mother to bring back to the U.S. and use as scatter rugs. Rather than do so, my mother placed them in one of her cedar hope chests – to which the key was subsequently lost and where they have remained for some seventy years until I recently had a locksmith open the chest.Based on Victorine’s age, I estimate that they date from between the early 1880s when she married and moved to Cacouna and to as late as1920 by which time she would have been a senior and likely disinterested in such matters.This is truly a rare and unique opportunity to reach into a time machine and obtain new and mint artisan goods from the past, in particular artisan goods of a type which are not treated kindly by the passage of time even with careful use.The two rugs - a closely (but not completely due to natural variations) matched pair - are approximately 46-1/2" x 30" and 42" x 30" in size. The length does not include the fringe. Photo of second rug available on request.The pair, $255. Cash only.Reasonable offers accepted.Please include a cell number with your response. Thanks for looking.