New York - Chinese and East Asian Rugs

A vintage Chinese Peking throw rug handmade during the mid-20th century with a cream border and light blue field. Measures: 2' 6" x 4' 3" The craft of the hand-knotted carpet in China, and the surrounding areas including Mongolia and Tibet, extends into the early centuries of the first millennium, C.E., but we really have a firm grasp only beginning in the later 16th century with large, very coarsely woven carpets, often depicting dragons, created for the Imperial Forbidden City palaces. Chinese carpets have always been commercial and there are no tribal groups responsible for any of the carpet weaving strains. When the Ming Dynasty fell in 1644, with no Imperial patrons, production moved to the city of Ningxia in north central China where several workshops turned out more finely woven pieces for the Mandarins of the administrative Ch’ing bureaucracy and well-to-do merchants. Ningxia was the major Chinese carpet center up through most of the 19th century, with first allover and then medallion designs on cotton foundations in medium weaves. Palettes were initially limited to yellows, dark blue and cream, but later widened to include reds, browns and even green. These antiques were the first Chinese carpets to be exported to the West and they fitted in well with the craze for Chinese blue-and-white porcelain in the second half of the 19th century. Ningxia also wove shaped and rectangular small rugs for saddle underlays, chair (“throne”) seats and shaped backs, pillar carpets with dragons or monks for Buddhist monasteries, and long divided runners for monastery meditation halls. These small rugs are among the most collectible of all Chinese weavings. Weavers from Ningxia set up workshops in the capital Peking (Beijing) in the 1860’s and began weaving Western room sizes for export, primarily to America. In blue – and – white and polychrome palettes, with round wreath medallions, precious objects, seasonal flowers, paeonies, lotuses, fretwork, clouds, butterflies and bats, all relatively spaciously drawn. The round “Shou” (Good Luck) character is also a prominent decorative motif. There are also a few Peking landscape pictorials with pagodas, houses, bridges, waterscapes and boats. Peking carpets were woven right up until WWII and production began again after the Cultural Revolution around 1970. They are moderately well-woven, on cotton foundations, exactingly executed and indisputably Chinese. Many are in the blue-and-white style. Nothing else looks like a Peking carpet and for a Chinese “look” in a room, they are absolutely indispensable. Sizes range from scatters and a few runners, through the popular 9’12’ size, to large carpets over 20’ which must have been special orders. The earliest Peking Revival carpets are pliable and fairly thin, but they became heavier and more compact in the 20th century, in competition with Art Deco carpets from Tientsin. The modern, post- 1970, pieces are in the traditional Peking style, but are a little too regular and neat. Exactitude has been favored over character, as hard to explain that as it is. There are a number of all-silk and silk-and –metal thread pieces, many with inscriptions purporting to link them with rooms in the Imperial palaces, bringing very substantial auction prices, but none are really antique. The genre emerged after WWI and the present demand comes from mainland Chinese. The silk piles often stand in pattern relief against flat woven gold metal thread grounds. The inscriptions are apocryphal, the rugs are flashily opulent, perfect for nouveaux riches. The Art Deco period between the two World Wars saw a distinctive carpet industry developing in Tientsin (Tianjin) in northeastern China. These are highly prized for their transitional design character, neither overtly Chinese, nor abstractly modern/contemporary. Woven exclusively for export, usually by and for American firms, such as Nichols and Elbrook, they are totally in the “Jazz Age Modern” style of the 1920’s, often without borders, with abstract or abstracted patterns, and only with, at best, a few Chinese-y pattern elements. Vases asymmetrically placed in the corners are features of some of the more Chinese-y carpets. Open fields with floral sprays and branches growing in from the edges are anther design innovation. Often, Chinese motives have been re-imagined in more sharp-edged, abstract manners. Some have no references whatsoever to natural elements. The patterns are sharp and the rugs are never subdued, soft or restrained. The rugs are heavily constructed, with crisp, unfading dyes and medium to medium coarse weaves on cotton foundations. All are extremely well-executed, with none of the vagaries, variations or twists found on even high-quality Persian rugs. The majority are in the 9’ by 12’ format and a surprising number can be found in top condition. There also was a substantial production in Peking from, especially from the Fette factory. Elliptical and round carpets, and lighter, often pastel colors, were a specialty. Nothing looks like an Art Deco Chinese and they work well with traditional Chinese furniture and the most modern decor as well. These is no substitute for a good Chinese Art Deco carpet. Chinese carpets also include small scatters from Tibet, with high quality wool, floating dragons and allover textile patterns. The colors of vintage and modern pieces are bright, but there are antique small rugs...

1920s Chinese Art Deco Carpet ( 8'10" x 11'9" - 269 x 358 cm )

Vintage 1980s Chinese Peking Carpet

Vintage 1980s Chinese Peking Carpet ( 9' x 12' - 275 x 365 )

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Carpet 9' 2" x11' 8"

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Carpet ( 11'9" x 17' - 358 x 518 )

1920s Chinese Art Deco Carpet ( 9'10" x 17' - 300 x 520 ) A generally diagonally symmetric layout of half vases on stands with flowering bonsai bushes, is laid on the tan field with ...

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Dragon Carpet ( 4'8" x 5'10" - 142 x 178 )

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Carpet ( 9'9'' x 13'6'' - 298 x 412 )

A vintage Chinese Art Deco throw rug handmade during the mid-20th century in blue. Measures: 2' 11" x 4' 10".

Vintage 1980s Chinese Peking Pillar Carpet ( 4' x 7' - 122 x 213 )

1920s Chinese Art Deco Carpet ( 9'2" x 12'8" - 2780 x 355 )

1920s Chinese Art Deco Carpet ( 8'10'' x 11'8'' - 270 x 355 )

Mid 18th Century W. Ningxia Carpet 5'6" x 7'2

1920s Chinese Art Deco Carpet with Fuschia color 8' 9'' x 11' 2''

Early 20th Century Oval Chinese Peking Carpet ( 4' x 6'8" - 122 x 203 )

Hand-knotted in wool, this 4x6 European rug in black is the first iteration of this design to be in high-and-low texture. Featuring beige/brown, green and pink floral patterns among ...

Handwoven in wool, this 9x13 Aubusson flatweave rug draws on a particularly rare design for this aesthetic known for its teeming designs—an open field design in particular, with a mi...

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Carpet ( 13'10'' x 17'4'' - 422 x 528 )

This vintage 7×9 Art Deco needlepoint is one of a limited collection that recaptures the works of artist Tim Van Campen. Handmade in all wool circa 1980-1990, it hails from the works...

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Carpet ( 6'2" x 9'9" - 188 x 297 )

A Mid-Century Chinese Deco carpet.

Antique Chinese Peking rug, size: 8'4" x 9'8".

This deep rose 1920’s rug from Tientsin(Tianjin)in NE China has an open field with birds perched in a leafy vine scroll border with occasional large tree peonies. There is no inner bounding line and one almost expects the winery to spill into the center of this brightly colored rug...

Vintage 1980s Chinese Peking Carpet 12'4" x 18'2" - 376 x 554

Chinese - Peking rug. Measures: 2'4" x 9'10" Navy background.

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Carpet 8' X 12'6" - 244 x 381

Handwoven in wool, this 10x11 European flatweave rug has been inspired by 18th century English Tudor rugs and tapestries. The design features floral ...

An antique East Turkestan Khotan accent rug handmade during the early 20th century primarily bitonal in shades of brown. The small ivory motifs add a...

Hand-knotted in wool, this 10x14 European rug in beige is the first iteration of this design to be in high-and-low texture. Featuring green and red floral patterns with cream undertones, this rug has been inspired by Tudor designs. On the Design: As inspired by English tudor rugs...

A tall, attenuated vase holding flowering stems decorates one corner and lesser antiques are spread out at the plum field and green border transition. The basically open field of thi...

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Carpet ( 9'3'' x 14'3'' - 282 x 435 )

A vintage Tibetan throw rug handmade during the mid-20th century. Measures: 2' 10" x 4' 8".

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Carpet ( 8'10" x 11'6" 270 x 350 cm )

This contemporary 9x12 rug is a new addition to the Rug & Kilim’s European collection. Inspired by 18th-century Savonnerie rugs, this rug in beige/brown and taupe and pink accents pr...

1920s Pair of Chinese Art Deco Carpets (4'4'' x 6'1'' - 132 x 185 )

1920s Chinese Art Deco Carpet ( 7'9" x 9'6"- 235 x 290 cm )

A contemporary Turkish room size carpet, in the Khotan style originating in East Turkestan, handmade during the 21st century. Measures: 9' 11" x 14' 5".

1920s Chinese Art Deco Carpet ( 12' x 17' 6" - 366 x 533 cm )

1920s Chinese Art Deco Carpet ( 8'10" x 11'6" - 270 x 350 )

Originating circa 1980, this vintage hand knotted wool Tabriz rug represents a graceful addition to the Modern Classics collection by Rug & Kilim, inspired by our team’s experience i...

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Rug ( 4' x 7' - 122 x 213 ).

Handwoven in wool, this 9x10 European flatweave rug has been inspired by 18th century English Tudor rugs and tapestries. The design features floral p...

Hand-knotted in wool, this 8x11 European rug has been inspired by English Tudor rugs and tapestries but a particular style among them once called armorial carpets. The design feature...

1920s Chinese Art Deco Carpet ( 3 x 4'9" - 90 x 145 cm )

1920s Chinese Art Deco Carpet by Nichols Workshop ( 8'10" x 11'4" - 270 x 345 )

Antique Chinese Peking rug, size: 2' 7'' x 4' 2''.

A 4x22 extra long runner sampler inspired by Sultanabad Persian rugs—from Rug & Kilim’s Modern Classics Collection. Hand-knotted in wool, playing a confluence of warm tones in floral...

19th Century W. Chinese Round Ningxia Dragon Carpet 4' x 4'

A majestic 6x9 needlepoint piece joining Rug & Kilim’s Modern Classics Collection. The rug features pictorial representations of animal symbols in the centre surrounded by a dense fl...

Antique Chinese Art Deco, measures: 9'2" x 11'6".

1920s Chinese Art Deco Carpet ( 8'10'' x 11'6'' - 270 x 350 )

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Runner Carpet 2' 8"x 11' 6"

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Carpet 11'x 22' 2" -

Early 20th Century Chinese Peking Carpet ( 10' x 12'4" - 305 x 375 )

Mid-20th century Art Deco Chinese rug Size: 6'0" × 9'0" (182 × 274 cm) This captivating Chinese Art Deco rug from the 1950s is a striking example of mid-century Eastern design tailor...

Handwoven in wool, this 6x9 kilim is a new unveiling Rug & Kilim’s European Collection by Rug & Kilim, inspired by 18th-century Aubusson flatweaves. On the Design: This rug enjoys...

Antique Chinese Peking Rug. Measures: 3' 0''x 4' 10''.

Late 19th Century Chinese Peking Carpet ( 13' 9" x 19' 5" - 420 x 592 cm )

Antique Cloud Band Dragon Design Chinese Pillar Rug, Country of Origin: China, Circa date: 1900. Size: 4 ft 4 in x 6 ft 10 in (1.32 m x 2.08 m)