Rugs and Carpets

Christie’s is the leading international auction house for antique rugs and carpets. We offer a range of exceptional antique hand-woven rugs and carpets dating from the 15th to the early 20th century, originating from countries across the Silk Road and Europe. Christie’s excels in this category and has established eight of the top ten world auction record prices for rare and exceptional carpets. A carefully curated selection is offered twice a year in the auction of Art of the Islamic & Indian Worlds in London, with additional examples appearing in Collection sales in London, Paris and New York throughout the year. Whether a seasoned collector searching for a rare Safavid carpet, or an interior decorator in need of the very best decorative masterpiece, the sales are curated to have a wide appeal, offering the very best of type.

To complement our live auctions, we offer Private Sales outside of the auction calendar. Based in London, our specialists are available for free and confidential valuations and travel widely to meet private clients and institutions. Please do not hesitate to get in touch about buying or selling rugs and carpets with Christie’s.
An ornate traditional rug featuring intricate floral and vine patterns in gold and beige on a deep red background.

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  • Art of the Islamic and Indian  auction at Christies

    30 Oct 2025

    Live

    Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Rugs and Carpets

    London

An ornate prayer rug featuring intricate floral designs and a mihrab pattern in red and beige tones.

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  • Louise Broadhurst

    Louise Broadhurst

    Director, International Head of Department

    London

    Louise’s career at Christie’s began over 25 years ago in 1998. In 2002, she was appointed Junior Specialist in the Rugs and Carpets department where she went on to be made Head of Sale in 2012 and Director and Head of Department in 2014. Following Louise’s extensive years of experience and deep knowledge of the field, she has helped nurture the extraordinary sales and record prices which have greatly contributed to Christie’s dominance in this category. She has been involved with a number of high profile sales including the rare Safavid ‘Vase’ carpets formerly in the collection of Alice de Rothschild in 2016 (over £2.3 million), the Pommersfelden silk and metal-thread Safavid ‘Polonaise’ rugs in 2019 (over £7.5 million), the Imperial Ming ‘Dragon’ carpet which broke a world auction record for a Chinese carpet in Paris in 2019 (6.8 million euros) and the Royal Indian Mughal fragment that broke a further record in 2022 (over £5.4 million). Louise has nurtured strong relationships with established and emerging collectors within her field and during her time as Head of Department, Christie’s now hold eight of the top ten auction records in this field.

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Detailed view of a traditional ornate carpet featuring symmetrical floral and geometric patterns in rich maroon, blue, and gold tones.

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