1800s Mustard Yellow Medallion Antique Chinese Ningxia Kang Rug 6' X 10'3" Handknotted Wool Carpet

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Late 18th Century Chinese Ningxia Kang Carpet ( 6' x 10'3" - 175 x 415 ) Ningxia or Suiyuan, North … Read more Late 18th Century Chinese Ningxia Kang Carpet ( 6' x 10'3" - 175 x 415 ) Ningxia or Suiyuan, North Central China K’ang Carpet Structural Analysis Warp: cotton, off-white, natural, handspun, Z-4-S; Weft: cotton, off white, natural, winder plied, Z-3-S. handspun, two shoots alternating; Pile: wool, Z-3 or Z-4; Knot: PL,no alternate warp depression, 5 ½ per horizontal inch x 5 per vertical inch = 27 ½ per square inch; Sides: recovered; Ends: n.o. Weft/knots: 50/50, even. Peach border, medallion and corners corroded; sapphire blue highest. Remarks. The golden yellow field employs the classic “grains of rice” pattern with brown pips, centered by a broadly drawn peach scalloped peony medallion and en-suite corners. The matching peach tone border has inward facing peonies in one, two or three colors with short arabesque segments between. There is no corner resolution with diagonal palmettes. The inner medium dark blue border is pearled and the outermost stripe is plain as is characteristic of rugs of the period. The peony corners are bold and direct, without a plethora of intrusive minor elements. The central peony wreath is pared down as well to the most important motives. The contrast in scale between the rice grains, a size independent pattern and the vastly larger scale medallion and corners is particularly striking. The rice pattern is scale independent in that it is always the same size no matter the overall dimensions of the rug. The pattern is essentially the same on a 2’ x 4’ as on a 6’ x 10’ carpet. The attribution to Suiyuan is tentative. The rice grain pattern has often been assigned to that town as one of its most popular styles. The weave could be either Ningxia or Suiyuan. Considering that the carpet industry in the latter city was founded by Ningxia weavers in the early 18th century, the similarity of technique is understandable The dating is more opaque. A quick glance seems to indicate the late 18th century. A closer look at the verso with a balance of wefts and knots gives an early 19th century era. The back does not resemble earlier rugs. Another indicator is the main border: the leafy sprays emanating from the palmettes are vertical and straight, curving only at their ends. Their decoration is spare and simple. The discussion of peony borders would place them in the 19th century. They lack the filigreed complexity seen on [………………..], all of which are likely true 18th century pieces. The weave is particularly coarse, thus making the execution of fine details difficult and they have generally, been avoided. Taken as a whole, an ascription to Suiyuan in the first quarter of the 19th century seems defensible The grains of rice pattern is chronologically invariant and by itself gives no date or period. The deep corrosion in the peach has allowed the blue details in particular to stand in relief. The peachy tone is probably a dyewood color, but an exact determination requires a chemical test. The single column of Turkish knots along the left edge is a standard practice of the place and time. Knotting proceeded from left to right. A column of Turkish knots may also appear on the right hand edge. NB. The date of the rug is early 19th century and it should be placed below the K’ang carpet line. See less