Mid 19th Century Central Asian NingXia Carpet

24013

Ningxia North Central China

17’10”  x 17’10”

C. 1850

Warp: cotton, off white, handspun, Z-4-S

Weft: cotton, off white, handspun, 2 shoots alternating

Pile: wool, 3 strand, handspun

Knot: asymmetric, open left, 48 knots per square inch

Sides: one cord, offwhite cotton wrapped

End: no original finish

This is a particularly large example of a Mandarin official’s carpet with a central medallion displaying nine lion dogs collectively symbolic of success on the national Chin Shih examination which provided guaranteed entry into the national administrative bureaucracy and the wealth devolving therefrom.  The nine lion dogs are a rebus for success in the national bureaucracy. The apricot ground features 11 full or partial rows of tree peonies, flower and stem. This carpet is particularly large and clearly was made for a highly placed official or the wealthy family of a recent graduate of whom great things were expected. The principal was probably Buddhist as indicated by the embroidered ball and precious objects in the medallion. The clouds surrounding the lion dogs form a broken, polychrome circle rather than the usual continuous cloud wreath. This is one of the several features indicating a bespoke order rather than a piece made for the market.

Another indicator is the exceptional size, as the standard square Ningxia Mandarin carpet is about 12 to 14 feet square. The main border continues the color combination, with a now apricot ground and peonies among floral arabesques. The blue inner stripe is unusual with butterflies alternating with paired peaches of longevity. Surrounding the whole is a wide, dark blue plain band. The drawing is balanced in all directions, with nothing cut off or left incomplete.

The medallion has three peony rows below and four above, but it seems well centered.  To have added another row at the bottom would have been technically more correct, but it would have made the carpet less than square, and squareness was an essential requirement. The notion that these square carpets were made for conforming dais platforms can be dismissed on an even cursory look at traditional Chinese houses. There are no daises. The only dais platforms are in the Forbidden City Imperial throne rooms and this is not an Imperial rug.

The condition is extraordinary. Such carpets were woven for the largest room of the house, the ancestor hall, and brought out only on important occasions like funerals, weddings, visits or holidays. Otherwise, they were rolled up and stored away. The handle is particularly thick and solid, and indicates a turn away from the softer and looser characteristic earlier Ningxia weave. Very few large Ningxia carpets are known and even fewer are in this exceptional state of perfect preservation.

The peony is a traditional Chinese carpet design, but it is usually combined with butterflies, bats, fretwork or other elements. The close and allover display of peonies is very unusual. The flower heads reverse direction at the approximate horizontal middle of the carpet. The carpet was originally more of a lacquer red as indicated by the verso. The logwood dye has, as is usual for Chinese carpets, changed to a mellow apricot. 

As is standard, Ningxia carpets are not dated or inscribed, and it would be impossible to ascertain the original patron of the piece.  In any case, his dwelling would have been most substantial with an ancestor hall twenty or more feet in width. The intended owner would have been highly placed in any case.

The exact workshop practices of the dozen or so workshops active at the time are not known, but the weavers, Hui Muslims, worked on vertical looms. Whether they employed partial cartoons for this exceptional piece is unknown, but it surely was well supervised. The central medallion probably had some sort of graphic guide, however.

Written by Dr Peter Saunders.
To view this rug on our website, click here.

Variation of Mandarin Nine Lion Dog Carpet

#20853

Main Hall Carpet

11’9” x 12’

Mid 18^th  Century

Structural Analysis:

Warp:cotton,off-white,natural,Z-4-S,somewhat irregular;

Weft:cotton,off-white,Z-4-S,winder plied, quite irregular;2 shots alternating; wefts thick and soft;

Pile:wool,Z-4;

Knot: PL/0 degrees warp depression/horiz. 6 x vertical 5 = 30 knots per square inch; knots somewhat irregular, some quite thin; [check for T knots along edges]

Sides: two cords each of two body warps, inner directly weft-attached; figure eight sparsely weft yarn wrapped;

Weft/knot ratio: 60/40 wefts predominant.

Remarks:

This is another variant on the popular Mandarin nine lion dog carpet.  The polychrome cloud wreath has exuberant, almost Baroque volutes at the four cardinal points.  The intermediary wreath sections were in field tones and have faded, making the composition rather hard to discern: the wreath would have been more salient before the changes to the long, curved, intermediate sections.

The dominant, dark blue lion dog appears at the top of the medallion and has a wide, particularly expressive face, complete with character creases and a canine snout.  The dog has real personality and individuality, unlike most of the animals in similar carpets. The main dog is alert and lively, with curved and slightly droopy ears.  All the dogs have light colored forepaws and small over pelts.  The creatures are well spaced and not crowded in the medallion.  The protected (protégé) dog is particularly small.  The main dog seems to have no parallels among published carpets and were any to appear, an attribution to the same workshop should be considered.

#18830 NingXia 15’0″ x 15’3″ circa 1770

The corners of the field employ double peony arabesques forming simplified “heart” points at the right angles.  The development here is much more schematic than l8830 and need not indicate the same workshop of origin.  Sprays of tree peonies, butterflies, leafy twigs, fractional tendrils and grassy clusters are spotted throughout the now buff field.

The dark blue peony main border is notable for the rare diagonal corner palmettes from which emanate foliate sprays in both directions in order to make a perfectly symmetric turn.  A bold T-fret inner border in salmon and dark blue has neat T’s in three corners and a single hook in one.  This is a certain indicator, if one is still needed, that no scale paper cartoons were available to the weavers.  Specifically, there was no formal illustration of how to make a fret border turn a corner.

#18355 NingXia 13’6″ x 13’10” circa 1750

As with our other examples, this nine dog main hall carpet was probably woven to the order of a successful Mandarin administrator.  Each of our large lion dog carpets seem to originate in a different shop, although 20853 and l8355 may be more clearly related than the others.  The extreme technical uniformity across the entire local industry deprives us of any unique idiosyncrasies and hence pattern is the sole evidence for differentiation.  One must also keep in mind that the same shop evolved over time, producing different carpets for different clients, changing the design pool when useful and implying a rotating work staff.

To view this rug on our website, click here.

The Pictorial Bao Tou

Born of a northern region where climate is cold and arid (conditions ideal for raising sheep), Chinese rugs were traditionally produced in an area also subject to continual conflict between Chinese and nomadic tribes to the north and west. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been home to a variety of cultures, and the rugs created therein could be attributed to Muslim, Turkish, and Mongolian ethnic minorities while clearly retaining a strong influence from Chinese art. While there is some debate over the origin of style in this general area, each region has it’s own unique character and weave.

Baotou having been a main trade post for excellent wool and carpets from the region, was itself well known for it’s pictorial rugs. The city’s Mongolian name translates to “place with deer”, which may account for the recurring theme of this imagery. Many of these pieces are of landscapes and animals (showing mountains, deer, birds, trees, and waterways), depicting scenes from daily life or traditional stories. Other designs created are still life images (displaying vases with floral arrangements, tables, books, and scrolls), sometimes with auspicious symbols.

Earlier Baotou rugs depicted realistic imagery within the center of the rug, with geometric patterning surrounding them, and enclosed in borders. Evolving over time, the images began to occupy the entire surface of the carpet and borders were disregarded, creating a style that was more akin to paintings than that of traditional floor coverings.

While changes in composition are apparent, just as obvious is the sustained use of traditional color – in this case predominantly indigo blue. Masters of dying, some Baotou weavers used various shades of indigo as the only color within a piece – creating layers of nuance. Reds, yellows, and neutrals/browns seem to be the complimentary colors often found within the work.

To view these, and other antique Bao Tou carpets, please visit our website.

Deco is Dramatic

Looking to make a statement with your interior? Antique Chinese Art Deco rugs may be just the piece you are looking for to meet that criteria. With strong colors, and bold designs, they are an optimal choice for your modern space.

Symbols

A Chinese tradition

Symbolic imagery is used in many forms of Asian art, and the carpet has not been left out of this tradition.  Symbols can be a constant source of conversation in your space.

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Flowers

A bouquet of color

Many of your basic Chinese art deco carpets are adorned with colorful bursts of flowers, which pop brightly off of the solid background giving the pieces character and contrast.

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Dragons

Bearer of good fortune

The dragon can be depicted in many ways within the woven arts of China, but almost always they are a symbol of positive forces – bringing with them health, wealth, happiness, and knowledge.

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Birds

Meaning takes flight

There are many meanings for the use of birds within Chinese symbolism – changing with the variety of bird depicted.  Peacocks represent good luck and fortune, while the Crane may express longevity and wisdom, and the duck may symbolize loyalty.

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Color

Bright and bold

Some rugs are all about strength of color – an attribute which may make the boldest statement in the space you’re working with.

Whatever the statement you are trying to make with your rug – Chinese Art Deco carpets are a surefire way to emphasize drama in your decor. View our collection of antique Chinese Deco rugs to find your perfect match today!

Our Chinese deco rugs

Rug of the Week

Antique Peking Chinese Landscape Pictorial Carpet.

Rug #23194 7’8 x 5’2″ Chinese Peking

Chinese painting goes back at least to the early centuries AD, on wall and portable on silk scrolls. It has been, at least from the 10^th century under the Sung Dynasty, most esteemed when landscape is the primary subject matter. Figure painting, especially in the Chinning Dynasty ancestor portraits, has been a decidedly secondary consideration and the latter really are not considered art at all by rigorous Chinese connoisseurs.  Landscape (shan/shui, mountain and water) is the true goal of the artist.  But painting are not intended to be true representations, but landscapes of the mind, abstracted, formalized, idealized. Landscape painting has affected other Chinese art media: porcelain, jade and hard stone carving, lacquer work, snuff bottles, textiles, literally everything. That it has been a carpet design source is obviously predictable.

Our antique Peking Chinese carpet number 23194 (7’8″ x 5’2″) is a prime example of this influence.  The anonymous Chinese designer, clearly familiar with hanging scrolls, has put a painting on a pile rug. Among the traditional motives are: an arched stone bridge, a similarly arched brick storage building with round top double doors (probably a granary), a wine shop flying a banner announcing that it is open for business, a rustic gazebo on a promontory, a two level pavilion further back on the hill, various iconic vegetation like grape vines and pine branches, and multi color swirling, knotted clouds. Conspicuous by their absence are munchkinoid humanoid figures: the ambling scholar with his staff, the fisherman in his cockleshell boat, the leisured gentleman taking in the scene from one of the airy buildings. The season looks like summer and this is no surprise since the home of painting for centuries was the old capital of Nanjing, a warm, subtropical city.

The color scheme of number 23194 is warm, with a gold ground in harmony with the secondary blue tones. Were it a classic blue and white antique Peking carpet, the effect would be significantly cooler. This rug comes right at the viewer and is laded with exotic, anecdotal charm. Peking Chinese pictorial rugs are often room size and depict fantasy palaces ensconced amid lakes and mountains, in both blue and white, and poly chrome, as here, palettes. The Chinese designer drew on a bottomless reservoir of interchangeable design elements to produce an unmistakably oriental creation. The rug was woven in the first quarter of the 20^th century for the American market. So where do you put the furniture? A chair on the bridge? A coffee table on the wine shop? A floor lamp on the gazebo?  Or give it some breathing room and use it as a window (on the floor!) into a lost, imaginary time and place.

 

#19647 Khotan | As Seen in Rooms With a View

Rug #: 19647

Type: Khotan

Origin: China

Size: 4’8″ x 7’7″

Circa: 1920

When George Marshall Peters of Pamela Bankers office asked if we would be interested in participating in their Rooms  With a View show space we were delighted. The vignette that George had planned out was influenced by a recent trip to Asia, and included a piece of art from his own collection.  The painting contained delicate cranes upon a golden ground, with a rice paper feel, which strongly influenced the rest of the design – and screamed to be accompanied by a soft toned Asian carpet.

With a small (approximately 8′ square) floorplan, wallpaper samples, photos of the furniture, and the feeling of the central art piece in mind, George and I began our search.  Though we pulled a few other options out that could have worked, it was clear that a warm, traditional Chinese piece was the best way to go for the space he imagined.

Photo via MANUFOTO

While George had originally nixed this Khotan as an option due to it’s size, Ramin and I knew it was a great match for the look he was going for.  Many designers will rule out perfectly fitted rugs based on architectural lines drawn on paper, rather than trying the rug in the space.  Upon sight of this carpet though, George agreed to see if it would fit, without making the room feel cramped.

Photo via MANUFOTO

Though the Khotan does fit wall to wall, the vignette was a huge success, each element falling into place beautifully – the carpet really completing the conversation between the other components of the room.  The golden neutral tones of the rug were woven in beautifully with the naturally textured wallpaper and golden collectables placed about, the earthy browns complimenting the darkness of the floor and furniture, and the subtle geometry pulling in the small geometric art elements that George used in perfecting the details of this space.

Additional spaces designed by others can be seen on Quintessence blog.
*written by Katrina Mauro

#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 Rugs of China: Art Deco

The term Art Deco refers to the style launched at the 1925 Paris World’s Fair Exhibition of Modern and Industrial Decorative Art.  Woven between the wars for the Western Market by mostly American owned firms, especially Nichols and Fette, Chinese Art Deco rugs (as the name implies) were made in thick heavy weaves using strong colors, assymetric patterns, and downplaying the Chinese-ness of the carpet.

Nichols rugs are more strong toned than the pastel Fette.  In 1924 W. A. B. Nichols introduced the now world renowned “Super Chinese Rug”. These rugs were known in most markets as the most durable and beautiful product of the modern Chinese weavers art.  The reason that Nichols Super Rugs may have been so unique to themselves, is that every last part of the process was done by Nichols Company, in house.  Most were woven in the coastal port city of Tiensin, though other lesser known workshops were also active.

Helen Fette initially went to China as a missionary, selling small rugs to raise funds for various charities. Teaming up with Chinese rug manufacturer Li Meng Shu to form the Fette-Li Company, the pair started producing rugs out of the Peking area in the early 1920s, becoming one of the largest exporters of the period. Fette rugs usually have a floppy feel because the cotton warps are thinner and more pliable than those used in Nichols carpets, resulting in a soft, limber feel.  Many of the designs, over viewed by Fette, were taken from Chinese emroidery, or inspired by traditional Chinese motifs.

Both Fette and Nichols companies used fabric tags on the back of their rugs for identification purposes. Nichols also stamped “handwoven in China by Nichols” onto the backside of the fringe, however if the fringe has worn or been repaired, the mark will be absent. Because Fette and Nichols were so closely associated with the Deco period, rugs woven in their trademark style, without any identifying marks, are routinely referred to as Fette or Nichols style.

Some pieces are ultra-geometric and haute-Deco moderne in character: these are very rare.

More frequent are pieces with bits of Chinese ornament: vases or other precious objects, paeonies, vines, fences, etc.

Most common is the 9’0″ x 12’0″ size, in colors never found in mainstream Chinese rugs: backgrounds in black, mauve, purple, hot pink, orange, olive, employing the best synthetic chrome dyes of the period.  Prices are still reasonable and carpets in top condition are available.

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

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/21017/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/19573/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/19778/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/20278/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/40-986/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/18310/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/20997/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/20756/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/20300/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/19482/

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/20446/

*research and writing by Peter Saunders & Katrina Mauro

Chinese Art Deco: circa 1930

#40-986

Chinese – Art Deco

8’0″ x 10’0″

circa 1930

As seen in ‘Art Deco & Modernist Carpets’ by Susan Dry (page 94)

 

In the 1930s, the demand for handwoven rugs, which could not be made in the United States, caused a surge of industry overseas, especially in China.  There were major factories opened in Beijung and Tientsin.

This particular design is the child of the Fette-Li Company of Beijing China.  The Fette-Li Company was set up in 1919 by Helen Fette in Partnership with Chinese weaver Li Meng Shu.

Many of the designs, over viewed by Fette, were taken from Chinese emroidery, or inspired by traditional Chinese motifs.  This pine tree design is one of their more distinctly Art Deco pieces.

 

http://www.rahmanan.com/inventory/show/40-986/