Baroque Chinese and East Asian Rugs

A handsome early 20th century Central Asian Khotan rug with three circular medallions in the center amidst a field of stylized flowers and trees-of-life surrounded by a border contai...

An early 20th century Chinese pictorial throw-size rug Measures: 2'8' x 5'.

An early 20th-century American Navajo Blanket Rug Details rug no. j3080 size 2' 6" x 4' 6" (76 x 137 cm)

A late 20th century Turkish rug depicting 2 lions outlined in yellow and a pink sheep outlined in light blue on a brown field. they all seem pretty happy, right? dated 1980 Measures...

This beige needlepoint Aubusson rug is a high-quality item, getting most of the attention in the rug store by clients because of the elegant c...

A colorful one-of-a-kind Tibetan rug from the 2nd quarter of the 20th century with a dragon motif Measures: 3' x 5'5''.

Colorful one-of-a-kind Tibetan rug from the 2nd quarter of the 20th century with a dragon motif on a bright orange field Measures: 3'1'' x 5'9''.

A colorful one-of-a-kind Tibetan rug from the 3rd quarter of the 20th century with a dragon motif on red ground Measures: 3' x 5'7''.

A handmade mini-size American hooked rug from the middle of the 20th century showing a duck Measures: 2' x 2'6''.

A colorful one-of-a-kind Tibetan rug from the 2nd quarter of the 20th century with a colorful dragon motif Measures: 3'1'' x 5'1''.

An antique East Turkestan Khotan accent rug handmade during the early 20th century. Measures: 4' 9" x 8' 11"

An antique East Turkestan Khotan rug in runner format with a pomegranate design handmade during the mid-20th century. Measures: 2' 2" x 7' 6" Central Asian Rugs & Carpets: Central Asia is a vast area stretching from Northeastern Persia to western China, and from northern Afghanistan to the southern edge of Russia. The carpets can be usefully divided into three groups: the nomadic Turkmen rugs of Turkmenistan, northern Afghanistan, and northeastern Persia; the non-Turkmen tribal pieces from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kirghizstan; and the urban creations of Khotan, Yarkand, and Kashgar, oasis cities of Western China (Xinjiang Province). Commercially, the most important group is from Khotan, the easternmost of the Chinese Turkestan cities. The craft of rug weaving is primarily in the hands of Muslim Uighurs. Khotan carpets mix purely Central Asian design themes with Chinese elements. Native Khotan devices include pomegranate trees, upright flowers, round medallions, and yellow or red grounds. Chinese motives include triangular fretwork corners, swastika fretwork, and Yun-Tsao Tou (clouds and rain) diagonally striped polychrome borders. Cotton foundations, asymmetrical (Persian) knots, and medium weaves are standard. Some vintage Khotan are in horizontal, pictorial layouts with multiple various vases and plants. Saphs (multiple prayer niche panel carpets) are also a Khotan specialty. Others employ stepped and layered lozenge medallions, singly or in pairs. Still others, almost all antique, feature a stylized version of the allover Persian Herati design. Many of the oldest pieces employ brown wool wefts. Antique and vintage Khotans are almost always in the k’ang (double square) layout, conforming to the local household plans. Only relatively recently has the 6’ by 12’ or 7’ by 16’ format been replaced by the 9’ by 12’ size. As a result, an antique room size Khotan carpet is very uncommon. Reds are cinnamon, tomato and rust, never wine reds, crimson, or scarlet. Yarkand, farther west on the old Silk Road specializes in multi-medallion long carpets while Kashgar, farthest west and most under Persian influence, has traditionally knotted allover pattern pieces with finer weaves, often with silk piles, and enriched with medal thread, on cotton foundations. Extant Kashgars go back to the 17th century, but the carpet craft in Chinese Turkestan must be much older as fragments have been recovered from local tombs of the early C.E. period. Kashgars are the rarest of all East Turkestan rugs. Most available vintage East Turkestan carpets are interwar Khotans, many with pleasingly soft decorative palettes. The non-Turkmen nomads include the Kazakh, Kirghiz, Uzbek, and Karakalpak groups. Like the Turkmen, they were once all seasonally migratory, dwelling in round felt tents (yurts), but have been settled, at least partially, in the villages, and have taken up crafts and agriculture instead of sheep herding. As a result, carpet production has transitioned from domestic tent use to commercial sale, but the roots of long traditions are still evident. The Uzbeks weave...