How to recognize an Aubusson or needlepoint
An Aubusson is a flat tapestry weave (like a kilim, but with curvilinear designs) in wool on a cotton or wool warp, usually a pastel floral medallion with garlands and a scrolling border; genuine antique French Aubussons are rare and valuable, and modern ones are woven in China. A needlepoint rug is wool yarn stitched in tent or cross stitch through a cotton canvas, thicker and stiffer than an Aubusson, in similar floral designs; most modern examples are Chinese or Indian. Both are common in formal dining rooms and bedrooms in Garden City, Rockville Centre, Manhasset, Old Westbury, Hewlett, Huntington and Southampton.
- Construction
- Tapestry weave (Aubusson); stitched canvas (needlepoint)
- Fiber
- Wool on cotton or wool foundation
- Dyes
- Pastels; some modern pieces bleed
- Risks
- Distortion, shrinkage of canvas, dye bleed across the flat surface
- Common on Long Island
- 6×9 to 9×12 floral pieces in formal rooms
- Our method
- Dye test → gentle dusting → flat hand wash, cool → hand rinse → blot or brief spin → blocked flat dry
