1920s Antique Asian Art Deco Chinese Peking Rug

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This striking 1920s antique Chinese Art Deco rug is a beautifully composed room-size carpet measuring approximately 11'4" x 10'11". Created … Read more This striking 1920s antique Chinese Art Deco rug is a beautifully composed room-size carpet measuring approximately 11'4" x 10'11". Created during the flourishing period of Chinese decorative carpet production in the early 20th century, the rug combines traditional Chinese symbolic imagery with the spacious, graphic organization associated with the Art Deco period. Its nearly square proportions and expansive blue field give the piece a particularly strong architectural presence.
The central field is dominated by a rich range of blue, teal, turquoise, and deep navy, providing a dramatic background for an imaginative collection of stylized botanical and symbolic motifs. Flowering plants arranged in vase-like forms appear throughout the field alongside butterflies, birds, floral sprays, scrolling branches, and abstract decorative emblems. The motifs are widely spaced rather than densely repeated, allowing the blue ground to become an important part of the overall composition.
One of the most distinctive elements is the variety of imagery. Butterflies and birds are interspersed among stylized blossoms and potted floral arrangements, while larger flowering branches emerge from the corners. This mixture of natural and symbolic forms creates a lively composition without sacrificing the visual balance of the rug.
Multiple borders frame the field, including a bold geometric fretwork band and an outer compartmentalized border containing alternating flowers, geometric devices, botanical motifs, stylized animal forms, and endless-knot symbols. These contrasting geometric borders give structure to the freer botanical imagery of the center.
The palette includes Chinese blue, teal, turquoise, navy, indigo, ivory, cream, beige, camel, warm brown, muted green, and gray-blue. The combination of its generous scale, sophisticated blue palette, Art Deco character, and traditional Chinese imagery makes this an especially decorative example of 1920s Chinese carpet design. See less