Moroccan Hand Knotted Brown and Tan Beni Ourain Wool Runner, circa 1940

Midcentury Moroccan hand knotted brown and tan Beni Ourain wool runner, circa 1940. A beautiful work of Folk Art, geometric glyph and archaic symbols appear throughout the plush field. Provenance: Nazmiyal Collection, NYC.

The fine wool harvested by the Beni Ourain and their penchant for abstract, geometric art make these rugs among the most desirable in today’s rug market. Thick, shaggy rugs with tantalizingly abstract designs were championed by the leading designers of the mid-20th century, including Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, bringing the ancient Beni Ourain rugs into the forefront of the design world of today.

It is a fascinating set of historical and cultural developments that have made Moroccan rugs as popular as they are today. The Beni Ourain - with a penchant for abstract symbolism and geometry as well as a steady supply of fine grade wool - happened to be weaving rugs and carpets that would be perfectly suited to the design aesthetics of the Western World in the decades following the end of the Second World War.