CIRCA: later half 1800’s
A beautiful and very interesting piece, seemingly from the Baotou-Suiyuan region of China. And ‘seemingly’ only because although the design and colours point to there, this is the only carpet of this type we have seen with a weft of mixed hair and wool, as carpets from this region usually always have a cotton weft, or on some occasions just wool. So while the design is relatively common, having some type of animal hair and wool combined for the weft is odd and rather rare. The main field design is sometimes referred as the ‘bogu’ pattern and consists primarily of three vases containing flowers and leaves The central vases is flanked to the right by an incense burner while to the left is a plate of fruits. This then is enclosed by first an inner border of pearls, then another border with the ‘T-shaped’ meander. The outer border is sectioned into various designs, with each corner displaying a different symbol with a specific meaning. This carpet is woven as you see it, that is the wefts run across the widest axis. The ends and one selvage need some repair or stabilastion in parts, but otherwise this carpet is in very good condition for its age. An attractive and very interesting decorative piece.