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Carpet with light blue background and Chinese design from the 1930s
About the Item
It is the early 1930s in Hanoi. Two French engineers living there, Georges Fenies and Armand Guillou, are passionate about hand-knotted carpets in their spare time. At that time these wool carpets were produced in China and were very successful abroad, especially in the United States. The two engineers became convinced that the wool was rather coarse, plus the Chinese did not know how to properly wash the fiber to make it shiny.
In Indochina, no sheep, so no wool. On the other hand, local labor possessed great manual skill. It was 1932 when they decided to set up a laboratory in the Vietnamese region of Tonkin. The wool already spun and dyed comes from the French city of Roubaix. The purpose of their business is not profit, because it is passion that drives them. Their workshop is located in the Hang Kenh district of Hai Phong, and this place will become their trademark "Hang Kenh carpet manufactory." Importing wool from France is time-consuming and the shortage of colored fibers could have halted all production, so they decided to participate in the creation of a modern dyehouse. They also end up buying wool directly, a little bit everywhere, but especially from Australia and India.
The original Chinese models are followed by more modern models that cater more to Western tastes. Colors are also softened and harmonized. Production increases dramatically and so does their notoriety. In 1936 they opened a store in Paris, just steps from the Banque de l'Indochine on Boulevard Haussman.
When war broke out, the colonial possession of French Indochina, which had been isolated from the motherland following the German invasion of France and ended up under the control of the Japanese Empire, it was fatal for the two engineers who were killed in 1945 and shortly afterward, their laboratory in Lam Ha was burned down.
It is very rare to come across authentic Hang Kenh carpets from the 1930s. Very often they go unrecognized and are classified under the category: "Indochinese carpets." However, it is time to pay tribute to the two founders and their Vietnamese employees.
- Dimensions:Width: 53.55 in (136 cm)Length: 75.99 in (193 cm)
- Style:Chinoiserie (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:Wool,Hand-Knotted
- Place of Origin:Vietnam
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1935
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Firenze, IT
- Reference Number:
About the Seller
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Established in 1930
1stDibs seller since 2018
29 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 3 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Firenze, Italy
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
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