CIRCA: 1900 (or before?)
A thickly woven Tibetan seating square, possibly intended for a monk to sit on in a monastic environment. The center mandala-like design features four enclosures that incorporate both the swastika and sauwastika (reverse swastika) in a lovely pink colour surrounded by blue fret work. The four corners are anchored by the same blue fret work and the center field is then enclosed by a narrow cream coloured border surrounded by a beautiful mottled blue shaggy woollen fringe. There are approximately eight or nine rows of restoration in the lower center red area only, that is the reweave does not extend into the corner fret areas, and was obviously done a very very long time ago, as the pile has worn down to the same level as the rest of the red field. And although the pile of the center field has worn down from use, it still remains a surprisingly thick carpet. It was made circa 1900 or possibly before, the size is approximately 63cm x 63cm, it has all natural dyes, the warp is a mix of wool and hair (yak?) and the weft is wool. It was probably rural or village work, possibly made over an extended time, as if one looks closely at the folded over ends it can be seen that the warps were laid up in five or six distinctly different ‘batches’ of mixed wool. There are no other repairs or reweaves other than the restoration pointed out above and the ends are intact, that is it has not been shortened from a longer runner, but made as a stand alone square.