Sacred and Secular

The Piccus Collection is the world’s finest and most extensive private collection of Tibetan rugs, revealed for the first time in this publication. Robert Piccus began forming this collection of Tibetan rugs during the 1980s and 90s, when the Chinese authorities began to allow tourism and foreign visitors into Tibet. At this time, the West then began to discover the intricately woven and boldly coloured rugs woven for centuries by the Tibetan people.

This book reveals the collection in all its glory, telling the story of how it came into being, from the individuals involved to the evolution of scholarship it prompted in the field as a result. Organised by design category, sections include Tigers and Leopards, Dragons, Geometrics, Warp Face Backs, amongst others, each showcasing examples from the collection, discussing their historical and symbolic importance and uniqueness.