#18355 Chinese – NingXia: circa 1750

#18355
Chinese, Ning Xia, Platform Carpet
3.99m x 4.06m (13’1” x 13’4”)
2^nd half of the18^th century.

Structure:

Warp: Cotton, white, natural, Z-4-S
Weft: Cotton, white, natural, Z-4, 2 shoots alternating
Pile: Wool, Z-3 or Z-4, asymmetric knot, 4-5 h. x 6½v. = 27 – 33/in²
Sides: 2 body wraps weft attached and weft wrapped thinly
Ends: No original finish.

This piece has a very close parallel in David Franses’s, Lion-Dog and 100 Antiques Rugs, pl.15, Thyssen – Bornemisza Coll., a platform carpet 3.53 x 3.86m. Both employ a multi-colored cloud wreath surrounding a central rounded medallion of large lion–dog and several cavorting smaller ones. The fields are a similar salmon, but the T-B. piece uses precious objects instead of clouds and lion-dogs; the peonies are virtually identical. The overall effect is quite close. The T.B. piece uses large flower scroll corners instead of close fret scrolls, and in the former they are en-suite with the middle narrow border, which, in turn resembles both inner and main stripes to varying degrees. The T.B. example, however, uses a 3-dimensional swastika fret stripe and an inner band with running dog fret. The other stripe is plain brown in contrast to plain blue in our piece. The knot count in the T.-B. ex. is 6 x 6 = 36/in², roughly in line with ours and characteristic of the period.

The medallion re-appears almost exactly on Franses pl. 14, a lion-dog rug ex. Andonian coll., 2.2 x 3.7m (7.2 x 12.1) with similar wreath and dog-filled roundel, but the field is a diagonal tone-on-tone fret pattern with scattered cranes and peonies. The main border is close to ours, but yellow rather than blue, and there is a swastika fret inner stripe. The other surround is plain blue. Franses dates it similarly, second half of the 18^th century. No. structural analysis is given except to indicate cotton foundation, wool pile.

The cloud wreath surrounding a lion-dog medallion seems to be characteristic of large pieces in the second half of the 18^th century.

To view this piece on our website, please use the following link:
http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/18355/

Mongolian Weavings

The exact source of carpets termed “Mongolian” is unclear.  Certainly these carpets were woven in the Chinese style, with their fret borders, shou medallions, and other far-eastern motifs.  Mongolian rugs, however, are bolder and simpler, course of weave with a peculiar rough, hairy, pile that does not take dyes the way purely Chinese pieces do.  Traditionally, these rugs were dyed only with organic colors derived from indigo, saffron, sumac, turmeric and pomegranate.

The overall look is somehow provincial.  Sizes tend to the square with 10′ x 10′ being especially popular.  All pieces available in the current market seem to be 19th Century.  Few, if any, earlier carpets of this kind are actually preserved, but are represented in illuminated Chinese manuscripts, appearing similar to examples available today.

Most Mongolian rugs have a high percentage of open space, with even the decorative elements often showing the plain ground through their design.  What they lack in finesse compared to Peking, or even NingXia pieces, is however compensated by a direct, unmediated approach with no extraneous elements.

to view these rugs on our website, use the following links:

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/19152/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/19123/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/21019/ & 21020 (sold as pair)

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/19586/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/19655/

*research & writing by Peter Saunders & Katrina Mauro

Antique Carpets of China: NingXia

The Western Chinese province of NingXia has a mostly Muslim population and is the source of many of the oldest Chinese carpets of the modern era (Ming Dynasty and later).

The designs are typically Chinese: fretwork or Greek key borders, paeony palmettes, bats, butterflies, Fu Dogs, clouds, dragons, shou symbols, etc.  Pillar carpets designed to wrap around monastery columns and displaying a dragon above waves are a specialty.

The weave is course and soft, with several wefts between knot rows, and a longish pile.  Yellow golds, dark and light blues are common colors.  The outermost plain border on pre-1800 examples is a corrosive brown.  Formats include large square “throne” carpets, parallel meditation runners, chair seats, and scalloped backs.

to view these rugs on our website, please use the following links:

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/17029/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/18355/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/19168/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/19952/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/40-503/

Research & writing by Peter Saunders, edited by Katrina Mauro.

Woven Arts of China: Antique Rugs

Archeological excavations have produced rugs from the Han Dynasty China, and carpets have been woven continually in China proper since the Ming Dynasty.  Antique carpets available today are principally from three sources.

NingXia, in Western China, wove softly textured, loosely woven pieces with corrosive plain brown outer borders in the early examples, often in large square sizes, with foo dog medallions, cloud wreaths, paeonies, and ornamental patterns of bats or butterflies.  Dragon pillar carpets were created especially for monasteries, as were runners in panel designs.

In the later 19th Century, workshops were established in Peking weaving the ever popular blue-and-white color scheme with Chinese motifs including precious objects, complex fretwork, or floral borders and elaborate medallions.

In the 1920s Tientsin on the Pacific Coast wove Art Deco style pieces with strong colors, minimal Chinese elements, and heavy textures.  Prices for antique rugs vary immensely.

Production today remains sizeable in China and any size and style may be ordered, including copies of very fine Persian silks.

To view these rugs on our website, please see the following links:

NingXia: http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/18663/

Peking: http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/17029/

Art Deco: http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/18588/

*research and writing by Peter Saunders, edited by Katrina Mauro.