Acquired at auction in Brussels in November 1996, this carpet designed by Art Nouveau artist Victor Horta (1861-1947) is one of his most beautiful creations. Horta designed the carpet for the Valère Carpentier’s country house in Renaix, which he designed and furnished in 1899. Horta was so delighted with his carpet that he exhibited it at the International Exhibition of Turin in 1902 and made an almost identical copy of it for his own drawing room. The latter is currently kept at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Although Horta adapted the design and palette, both carpets recall the motifs he used for the décor of the staircase in his house in Rue Américaine, Saint-Gilles (Brussels): palm leaves on fine, slender stems. The carpet can also be seen in the most famous portrait of Victor Horta, showing him seated in an armchair in his drawing room. Horta designed very few carpets. Their fragility has meant that only a few examples still exist. It was therefore important that this carpet could be exhibited at the Horta Museum. Website Horta Museum Further information about the Heritage Fund (in French)
