Vintage Beni Ouarain Berber Rug
The Beni Ouarain confederation is composed of seventeen tribes inhabiting the high mountain region of the northeastern Middle Atlas. Their rugs differ from other Berber weavings in that they are woven almost exclusively on an ivory background and decorated with abstract geometric motifs in undyed natural brown/black wool. The pattern is typically composed of an all-over grid of lozenges with little or no variation. The present example is quite unusual in that it offers a completely open field, elegantly framed by three parallel black straight lines on either side. The high quality of the materials used contributes in placing Beni Ouarain rugs at the forefront of contemporary interior design as one of the most refined expressions of the Moroccan Berber tribal textile art.