Early 19th Century Chinese Ningxia Pillar Carpet ( 3'4" x 8'8" - 102 x 264 )

Beneath the tasseled lambrequin, the scaly, five claw dragon rises trailing coiled clouds on the dark blue ground above a five-point “mountain” within frothing surf. Below is a rainb...

Ningxia Carpet North Central China 10’2” x 14’6” Circa Early 1800s Warp: cotton, handspun Weft: cotton, handspun, 2 shoots alternating Pile: wool, handspun, naturally dyed This larg...

Late 18th Century Chinese Ningxia Pillar Rug Size : 108×280 cm This exquisite antique Chinese Ningxia pillar carpet dates from the late 18th centur...

Ningxia Pillar rug, XIX century. This special hand knotted carpet was wrapped around a pillar or a column of the buddhis temples or in the imperial palaces in China, Mongolia and Tibet ( in Tibet they were called Katum). This carpet surrounds the column creating a refined optical effect . This item brings in its decoration, a very important pattern of the imperial Chinese culture. Starting from the bottom, we can appreciate the proportion and the balance of the so called “Rainbow border”, consisting of parallel wavy stripes in a soft lovely combination of colors, radiating from the edge of the field. This kind of border was used only at the bottom of the rug in conjunction with the “sacred mountain” motif. The center of this pillar carpet is decorated with two opposite dragons linked by a bold “ruyi cloud” (in Chinese Ruyi means “as you wish”). The Ruyi cloud motif is used in earlier Chinese than are drifting clouds. The dragons represented in this pillar carpet, bring five claws, synonym of noble and monastic importance. The Chinese imperial carpets...