Museum Quality Antique Chinese Pillar Rug with Lotus Flowers

A rare and beautiful early Chinese carpet characterized by an infinite repeat of parallel and offset rows of blue and ivory lotus blossoms, symbols of purity, on a two-tone yellow ba...

The only huge carpet known to have left the Imperial Palace in Beijing's Forbidden City, formerly in the Perenchio collection, is the famous Tiffany carpet, 9.99 metres long and once 9.68 metres wide, but since reduced to 7.20 metres wide. The carpet was originally made in three parts to fit around the columns of an unknown hall, and was reportedly last used in China in the private temple of the Empress Dowager Cixi. It was purchased for Louis Comfort Tiffany of New York, who owned it for more than thirty years. The Tiffany carpet is currently attributed to the end of the Ming dynasty and is thought to have been made in the first part of the 17th century. The field pattern is composed of a repeating design of rows of lotus flowers on a soft beige ground, originally deep red, overlaid in the centre with a medallion formed by a blue line edged in ivory and pinched in the four corners. The field is enclosed by two borders on the same colour, which reappears beyond the borders to create a wide band around the outer edge. The inner border is composed of a lattice of stepped squares filled with a swastika, with a large rosette at each intersection. The outer border is a double version of the swastika fret. A section of the field is shown here, and a few other fragments survive. The Tiffany carpet clearly forms a link between the carpets made during the late 16th century and those made in the late 17th century. Examples with an identical flower design or the same specific ‘heavy’ weave are now referred to as the ‘Tiffany’ type after this most important carpet. Other carpets of this type include one in the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City and one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The Tiffany type...

A very unusual Chinese rug, possibly used originally as a dais cover, which had been previously attributed to the Western region of Gansu (H. König, Gansu, Hali 138, London 2005, pl. 13, p. 58). However both the structure and the colours are fairly typical of Ningxia weavings from the Kangxi period (1662-1722), which marks the first Qing Dynasty empire following the Ming Dynasty and which still carries much of its iconography. Of particular note are the four stylised blue dragons on a coral background which decorate the corners of the composition. A true masterpiece of early Chinese textile art.

A very fine and rare antique throne back cover from Yarkand, in eastern Turkestan, hand knotted entirely in pure silk. A true gem of a weaving, with that perfect balance of colour an...

Very beautiful late 19th century Chinese rug with nice Chinese floral design and beautiful natural colors, entirely hand knotted with wool velvet on cotton foundation. ✨✨✨ "Experien...

Pretty vintage Chinese rug with a simple design with some Chinese symbols on a yellow background and a navy blue background border with Chinese design and symbols, handmade by hand t...

Step into the rich legacy of Chinese craftsmanship with this antique Peking wool rug from the 1900s. Handmade with meticulous detail, this piece features a captivating interplay of d...

Exquisite small Chinese rug from late 19th century Beijing. Hand-knotted with wool on cotton, this rug features a stunning Chinese design. A decorat...