The focus at Gallery 51 is on fine, handmade textile art and oriental rugs, antique and contemporary, for the wall, the floor and for collections.   We offer both residential and commercial customers, as well as sophisticated collectors and museums, a wide selection of visually compelling antique textiles for home or office. 

Our hand selected inventory comprises a wide range of antique tribal carpets and weavings from the Middle East and Central Asia, as well as handmade, hand-knotted contemporary rugs and carpets, all of which can be made to order in a variety of designs, colors and patterns, often with natural, undyed wool.  

In addition, for the collector, ancient Coptic, Islamic, pre-Columbian, African, European, Native American, and other ethnographic textiles are also offered.  Services include buying, selling, consignment, design consultation, appraisal, brokerage, mounting, and collection management. 

Antique textiles are fragile and taking proper care of them is extremely important, and, they are among the most 'green' of all antiques and collectibles, in that they were  made by hand, using natural, renewable materials and dyes.  Most have been cherished as functional art and have been in constant use for at least 100 years, bringing a new dimension to the concept of creative reuse and recycling. 

Moreover, vintage oriental rugs were almost always woven by women, at home, in their ancestral village or nomadic encampment. Whether floral or geometric, they reflect the creative vision of women who never studied art, design or color theory, and were often illiterate. They were painting with wool, and the results are amazing.

We also feature contemporary artists of merit. Recent shows include tapestry artist Alan Magee, Korean fiber artist Bo Young Moon, multi-talented textile artist Jane Steinsnyder as well as painters Christopher Windle and Benjamin Casiano.  

So, please stop in when in Philadelphia and take a look. We'd love to meet you.