As a young man in Amsterdam, he spent many hours in his family's gallery learning the touch, feel and characteristics of carpets from the various regions in the east from the ground up. But not every kid who spends his vacations schlepping carpets will become a consultant and connoisseur of de Rot's stature. It was the stories and recollections he heard there - the history of the carpets - stirred his imagination infusing him with a curiosity that made him want to know more.
"Growing up in the atmosphere creates the interest," he says. "It's the only way."
He always knew that once he completed his formal education he would serve as an apprentice. With his family's help, and his early experience tucked under his belt, he began working in the best carpet houses in Holland and England. An apprentice is encouraged to learn the ropes of the business before being sent off to grapple with yet another aspect of the business somewhere else. For example in the carpet warehouses, at London's Port Authority. Carpets were brought in directly from Iran and other Eastern countries to be sold, then shipped to foreign destinations. He worked there as a trainee with a carpet broker and wholesaler selling to dealers from throughout the world.
Upon finishing his apprenticeship with placements in Bermuda, the Bahamas, St Thomas and St Maarten (in bond transfer & warehousing), de Rot wanted to learn more about the origins and history of carpets. He returned to Europe where he studied and researched Oriental carpets and their markets in Europe, America and the East, under the patronage of the Oriental Carpet Consultancy of Luxembourg. When he completed this thorough initiation he was appointed manager of the downtown Amsterdam flagship store of the renowned House of Perez. The chain had stores in England and Holland. Then in 1971 he was wooed away by the Canadian operations of Lidchi International.
One of the most prestigious and diversified chains in the world, Lidchi had a gallery in Toronto with offices in Vancouver, Montreal and New York in addition to those in Europe, Africa, Iran and Turkey and its head office in Luxembourg. Robert was based in Toronto and became thoroughly immersed in the business in North America, making frequent trips back and forth across the continent and abroad.
By 1977, de Rot was ready to move again. Through the Carpet Consultancy of Luxembourg, he acted as a consultant to private clients, collectors and institutions. He traveled extensively, tracking down pieces for collectors in America, Africa and Europe. His knowledge of carpets, their markets and their cultural significance brought him many prominent clients. The carpets he sought out often were collectors items, valued at up to $500,000.
Since 1991, de Rot lives in scenic Vancouver, BC. commuting back and forth to Toronto, the rest of Canada and frequently around the Globe as appraiser, consultant and auctioneer, still tracking down rare and collectable carpets.
