Chinese Rugs: Kansu Carpet C. 1800 Sotheby's lot 31

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Chinese Rugs: Kansu Carpet C. 1800 Sotheby's lot 31 Kansu carpets such as this incorporate Chinese design elements with those of weavings from Eastern Turkestan, further west along the silk route. The trefoil border on this carpet is shared with other Kansu carpets, such as lot 102 in this catalogue, as well as with East Turkestan carpets from the oases towns of the Tarim Basin such as Yarkand and Khotan, for one example see Schürmann, Ulrich, Central-Asian Rugs, Frankfurt, 1969, pl. 80. This border may be an adaptation of the bold ram's horn or reciprocal trefoil border found in Yarkand rugs such as lot 270, Sotheby's New York, October 1, 2002.

Sotheby's Auctions » Carpets » lot 31

Sale N07852
A KANSU CARPET, WEST CHINA,
New York 40,000—60,000 USD Session 1
03 Dec 02 10:15 AM
Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 141,500 USD
MEASUREMENTS
approximately 10ft. 5in. by 8ft. 4in. (3.17 by 2.54m.)

DESCRIPTION
circa 1800
oxidized browns, minor foldwear, rewoven area in border,

Warp: Cotton, Z7S, natural ivory
Weft: Cotton, Z4S, 2-3 shoots, natural ivory or pale indigo
Pile: Wool, Z2S, asymmetrical knot open to the left
Density: 7-8 horizontal, 8-9 vertical
Sides: 1 cord of 2 warps wrapped in madder wool
Ends: warp fringes
Colors: Ivory, madder, pale madder, saffron, blue-green, pale blue, blue, walnut.

Provenance
Sotheby's London, April 4, 1992, lot 124.

Literature
Hali, issue 63, p. 138.
Kansu carpets such as this incorporate Chinese design elements with those of weavings from Eastern Turkestan, further west along the silk route. The trefoil border on this carpet is shared with other Kansu carpets, such as lot 102 in this catalogue, as well as with East Turkestan carpets from the oases towns of the Tarim Basin such as Yarkand and Khotan, for one example see Schürmann, Ulrich, Central-Asian Rugs, Frankfurt, 1969, pl. 80. This border may be an adaptation of the bold ram's horn or reciprocal trefoil border found in Yarkand rugs such as lot 270, Sotheby's New York, October 1, 2002.

The field pattern of stylized blossoms found on this carpet may be unique. As carpets in China were woven to complement furnishings, their designs were often derived from other decorative arts and in particular from textile patterns. The flowerheads of the present carpet could be based on earlier embroideries and brocades, for examples see Simcox, Jacqueline, Chinese Textiles, London, 1994, pls. 23 (a 13-14th century embroidery fragment) and 29 (an early Ming (1368-1644) brocade fragment). Here, the design is rendered in saturated colors that recall these earlier textiles as well as East Turkestan carpets, as opposed to the ivory, blue and yellow palette of carpets woven in Ninghsia, China. Structurally, however, the present carpet with its cotton foundation is woven with a characteristic Chinese technique.

While many Kansu carpets share a long and narrow format with those of East Turkestan, the present lot is woven in an unusual size. Possibly woven as a special commission, this carpet achieves a subdued elegance that is a hallmark of early Chinese carpets.

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