Baptistin Spade carpet

Description

Period: 1950
Dimensions: 400 x 400 cm
Signed B. Spade (1891 – 1969)

This substantial carpet, made of premium wools and signed by Baptistin Spade, was hand-knotted in France in the mid-20th century. The warm neutral tones of the field reflect the ton-sur-ton design of the border, but the most eye-catching colours are the red and green of the border, which surrounds the central space decorated with geometric lines.
Baptistin Spade was born in Marseilles on 13 March 1891. From 1905 to 1908 he worked at the Marseilles School of Fine Arts, after which he moved to Paris, where he continued his studies of drawing, painting and sculpture. In 1910 he opened a small shop in Rue Malebranche, in the Latin Quarter, and began his career as a decorator. He later opened several workshops specialising in cabinet-making, textiles and interior design.
Baptistin Spade’s long career encompassed a wide range of major works for both private and public clients, in Paris, the French provinces, Belgium, Switzerland and even North and South America.
He collaborated in the decoration and interior design of about 30 “paquebots” for several major shipping companies. These projects included the first-class accommodation on-board the “Lyautey” owned by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. A steamship, launched in Seine sur Mer in 1952, the “Lyautey” was built as a replacement for the “Maréchal Lyautey”, a liner sunk by German troops in the port of Marseilles in August 1944.
High-quality workmanship is the hallmark of all the furnishings made by Baptistin Spade, who had a clear predilection for rich colours and materials. His works also feature close attention to detail and proportions. He generally took a holistic approach to interior space when creating his decorative furnishings, so his furniture tends to be coordinated with lighting, carpets and tapestries of his own design.
He died in Paris on 16 November 1969.