CIRCA: 1930’s
A so-called ‘General Ma’ or ‘Big Horse Ma’ carpet most likely made in Yarkand (given the tell-tale blue cotton mixed in the weft, a feature specifically related to Yarkand weaves), which is a carpet weaving oasis’s in Xinjiang province – old East Turkestan – in far south western China. As the legend goes, General Ma had these carpets made for his troops / followers in the 1930’s. The Chinese writing in the roundels is read from either end, that is one set ideograms will always be upside down no matter which way you look at the carpet – although one of the photos above shows both ideograms right-way-up as it were; but what do the inscriptions actually say / mean? (The translation of same seems open to some debate, the most recent – in Hali #136 – suggesting it reads “in memory of (the occupation of) Khotan“, which contradicts and earlier interpretation – in Hali #44.*) The designs throughout the pile are made using only two primary colours, that is natural white wool and various shades of blue dyed wool, and has a lovely subtle abrash throughout the blue field. it has a main outer border interspersed with flowers and what appear to possibly be stylised shou motifs, along with several secondary inner borders, altogether there are nine border ‘strips’ in all. It is a fine carpet in good condition with its own genuine niche in the military history of China.
* See pages 16 & 17, Hali magazine #44, 1989; and page 69 in Hali magazine #136, 2004 for the full story behind this type of carpet and the different views / interpretations on the meaning of the inscriptions; or the book regarding General Ma, printed in 1936 and entitled ‘The Flight of the Big Horse’ by the renowned Swedish explorer Sven Hedin, as General Ma was an actual person, as were his exploits.