A History of Tufted Rugs

Prototype. Chapter text drafted from the research notes and not yet checked at the archives. Images awaiting permission are marked.

Swedish rölakan (röllakan): interlocked double-faced tapestry weave, documented from the 18th century
Illustration, not the item itself: Röllakan (photograph, 2012)

Swedish rölakan (röllakan): interlocked double-faced tapestry weave, documented from the 18th century

Research finding · not yet checked at the source · Image permission pending

Date
17th–18th century onward (dealer claims; not confirmed by museum sources)
Place
Skåne and Småland (traditional attribution)
Materials
wool weft, linen warp
Themes
Rug-making techniques
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Cite this source

“Swedish rölakan (röllakan): interlocked double-faced tapestry weave, documented from the 18th century.” Research note. digitaltmuseum.org/011025057959.

Research notes

How it works: rölakan is a flat, weft-faced tapestry weave in which the wefts hide the warp. At each colour change the wefts are interlocked, which leaves a slight ridge along the join and makes the rug reversible. Wool weft on linen warp is typical (dealer descriptions: 1stdibs, Chairish, rugandkilim.com). Dating: dealers say the technique has been used in Sweden since the early 1700s, and one says it arose in the rural traditions of Skåne and Småland in the 1600s–1700s. Searches of Swedish museum databases (Nordiska museet via DigitaltMuseum; Kulturen) found 18th-century Skåne coverlets and cushions. One digitaltmuseum record is an åkdyna (carriage cushion) described as röllakan, but its date was not shown. The 18th-century dated records seen were not clearly röllakan, so the early date is unconfirmed by a museum. The name's origin is uncertain (one dealer claims 'ryglakan', 'back sheet'). Mid-20th-century workshops such as Märta Måås-Fjetterström wove rölakan floor rugs. Sources: https://digitaltmuseum.org/011025057959 · https://carl.kulturen.com/web/object/121632/REFERENCES/235 · https://rugandkilim.com/blogs/a-collectors-guide-to-antique-swedish-rollakan-tapestries/ · https://www.chairish.com/product/28640885/hand-woven-flatweave-swedish-rollakan-rug-by-alice-walleback-1950s Research note (Oct 2026): from search results; pages not opened.