CIRCA: 1800’s / 19th C., 2nd half
An age old Chinese carpet design featuring five, five-clawed ‘Imperial’ dragons, from the Ningxia region of China and made sometime in the second half of the 1800’s / 19th century. The four corner dragons are portrayed side-on or ‘in profile’ frolicking in stylised clouds while clutching at the ‘precious jewel’ or ‘flaming pearl, depending on your interpretation of same; while the center dragon is shown face-on looking directly at the viewer. The end designs show rolling waves, clouds, and a stylised version of the sacred Mount Meru at the center. The outer border along the selvedge’s is plain dark brown wool, then a thin strip of blue and then a thin strip of white for inner guard borders, while the center field is a naturally dyed magnificent lightly abrashed blue. The warp and weft are both cotton, seemingly hand spun, and the dyes appear to be all natural. The carpet is in very good condition for its age with only some minor pile wear through the center, and wear along the selvedges. This has been in the hands of one private collector since the early 1970’s and is the first time on the market since then. A beautiful carpet that would suit a collector.