CIRCA: 1920
A powerful Tibetan ‘butterfly’ shaped makden, or under-saddle carpet, featuring a rare depiction of tigers (in place of the snow-lions sometimes seen in the same configuration on makdens). The tiger depiction was a symbol of high rank in Tibet with both the secular upper class and the religious class using weaving’s depicting them. Although tigers were not native to Tibet they were found in neighbouring countries such as India and China and their pelts sometimes made their way to Tibet through overland trade. However, while actual pelts were at times used, the Buddhist dislike of killing animals lead more often to their imagery being woven into carpets, either as depicted here, or pelt replicas, or abstracts of just the tiger’s stripes.
Here we have an under-saddle carpet with a tiger either side and six dragons chasing the elusive ‘flaming jewel’ in the border. The tigers are depicted striking their classic pose looking back over the shoulder, and in this instance seemingly looking at the “three jewels of the Buddha” that are set just above it’s back. Made in the early 1900’s, the warp is cotton while the pile and weft are both hand-spun wool. The colours are very good and are all, or overwhelmingly all, from natural sources, while undyed wool appears to have been used for the tan coloured center-field. It is edged in felt covered with red nambu cloth and backed by a grey cotton cloth, the size is 111cm wide (at bottom) x 67cm high (through center) and it is in excellent condition. As (antique) Tibetan carpets with the tiger in the design have become increasingly rare (and especially so when depicted on saddle carpets) and thus sought-after, this offering presents a unique opportunity for the astute collector!
For another rare example of a saddle rug with tigers see page 45 in the book Patterns of Life; The Art of Tibetan Carpets by Thomas Cole.