Antique Art Deco Chinese Wool Rug, Butterflies & Crimson Field, C. 1920s — 2'11" × 4'10"

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An authentic and enchanting antique hand-knotted Chinese Art Deco rug, woven circa 1920s — one of the most celebrated and … Read more An authentic and enchanting antique hand-knotted Chinese Art Deco rug, woven circa 1920s — one of the most celebrated and collectible periods in the history of Chinese carpet production, when the workshops of Tianjin, Peking, and Shanghai merged the ancient vocabulary of Chinese symbolic art with the bold, open aesthetic of Western Art Deco to produce rugs of extraordinary decorative beauty and cultural depth.

The field is a deep, luminous crimson ruby red — a color of great auspiciousness in Chinese tradition, associated with joy, prosperity, and celebration — rendered in the characteristic Art Deco Chinese manner: largely open, breathing, uncluttered, allowing each motif to float freely against the glowing ground with the composed elegance of a classical Chinese painting.

Against this crimson ground, a carefully composed scatter of Chinese auspicious symbols unfolds with quiet intentionality. Most prominent — and most poetic — are two pairs of butterflies (húdié, 蝶蝶): rendered in ivory, coral, teal, and soft gold, they hover and drift among trailing vines and blossoms in the upper and lower field. In Chinese culture and poetry, the butterfly is one of the most beloved and symbolically rich of all creatures — an emblem of joy, longevity, conjugal happiness, and the freedom of the soul.

Surrounding the butterflies, trailing vine tendrils in deep navy curl across the crimson field, connecting scattered chrysanthemum and peony sprays in dark navy and saffron orange — flowers of longevity, honor, and abundance in the Chinese symbolic tradition. Maple and palm leaf forms in forest green and gold drift across the ground like autumn leaves on still water, adding movement and seasonal poetry to the composition.

The wide midnight navy border carries the same rich vocabulary of auspicious objects: scholar’s bronze ritual vessels (bāgǔ — antiques of great age and refinement) rendered in steel blue-grey with saffron orange bases, flanked by floral sprays and leaf forms in the same palette as the field.

The back of the rug reveals the wool pile on cotton foundation characteristic of quality 1920s Chinese export production — the knotting even and consistent, the foundation sound. Some areas of low pile are present, particularly toward the field center, consistent with a century of honest use and reflected in the price. The colors throughout — crimson, navy, saffron, forest green, ivory — retain remarkable vibrancy.

At 89 × 150 cm (2’11” × 4’10”), this is a versatile accent rug format — ideal beside a bed, in front of a fireplace, in an entrance hall, or displayed as a textile art object. The butterfly motif makes this rug a particularly meaningful and personal piece — a century-old symbol of joy and transformation, woven in wool and crimson, as resonant and beautiful today as the day it was made.

Key Details
Type: Antique handmade rug
Style: Art Deco Chinese
Origin: China (Tianjin / Peking export tradition)
Age: Circa 1920s (approx. 100 years old)
Material: Hand-spun wool pile on cotton foundation
Technique: Hand-knotted
Dimensions: 89 × 150 cm / 2'11" × 4'10"
Design: Open crimson field with butterfly pairs, trailing vines, chrysanthemum and peony sprays, maple/palm leaves; wide midnight navy border with scholar’s bronze vessels and floral sprays
Key motif: Butterflies (húdié) — symbol of joy, longevity, and the soul’s freedom
Colors: Deep crimson/ruby red, midnight navy, saffron orange, forest green, ivory/cream, steel blue-grey, coral
Pile: Wool on cotton foundation; some low pile areas in field center (disclosed)
Condition: Fair/Good — honest age wear and low pile in areas; colors vivid; structure intact
SKU: 1B1003 See less