CARPETS: Afghan Carpet, Ghashghai Carpet, Chinese Carpet, Heriz Carpet, Ushak Carpet

An Afghan Carpet, the madder field
with three columns of six gab and minor
motifs, within a cross border and single guard
stripes, 233 by 204cm.; 7ft. 8in. by 6ft. 8in.

A Ghashghai Carpet, the washed madder field with three connecting indigo medallions and all-over stylized flower heads, within an ivory border and ‘barber-pole’ guard stripes,

243 by 153cm.;

A Ghashghai Carpet, the madder field with three connecting medallions with an all-over hearten design, within complementary indigo spandrels, within a palmetto and vine border

and single guard stripes, 259 by 150cm.; 8ft. 6in. by 4ft.

A Ghashghai Carpet, the indigo field with three connecting ivory diamond medallions with all-over stylized flowers, birds and minor motifs, within an ivory border and guard

stripes, 260 by 146cm.; 8ft. 7in. by
4ft. Win.

A Ghashghai Carpet, the indigo field
with two columns of four polychrome hooked
gab with all-over bother, within an ivory
flowering vine border and guard stripes, 263 by
140cm.; 8ft. 7in. by 4ft. 7in.

A Ghashghai Gelim, the field with alternating polychrome bands bearing hooked motifs within three stylized borders, 272 by 166cm.; 8ft.

A Kashmir chain-stitch Carpet, the pale-indigo field with a large madder reserve enclosing a flower-filled ivory lobed medallion, overall floral sprays, within an indigo

cartouche and acanthus leaf and flower head border,
274 by 188cm.; 9ft. by 6ft.    A Turkish Gelim, the indigo and madder field with two columns of three octagonal medallions, stained, 301 by 176cm.; 9ft.

An Indian Durries, the pale-indigo field with an overall design of madder, pale-indigo, ivory and saffron stepped gulls, 283 by 217cm.; 9ft. 3in. by 7ft.

A Chinese Carpet, the indigo field with a saffron and pale-indigo circular medallion bearing a stylized dragon and all-over flowering vases, cloud bands and butterflies, within

a complementary saffron border and two inner guard stripes, stained, 297 by 209cm.; 9ft. 9in. by 6ft.

A Kashmir chain-stitch Carpet, the ivory field with flowering vine medallion, within complementary spandrels and border and one inner and one outer guard stripes, slight

damages, 306 by 243cm.;

A Gabeh flat weave Carpet, the camel field with a diamond medallion and radiating bands of cross motifs, within a complementary ivory border and guard stripes, 317 by 227cm.;

10ft. 5in. by 7ft. 6in.

A similar Gabeh flat weave Carpet, the camel field with diagonal rows of ivory motifs, 303 by 217cm.; 10ft. by 7ft.

A Tekke Turkmen Carpet, the madder field with five columns of sixteen guls supported by minor crossed motifs, within a sunburst border, triple guard stripes and serrated leaf

ends, 304 by 220cm.; 10ft. by
7ft. 3in.

A Yomut Carpet, the madder field with
all-over hooked gulls, within an ivory
meandering vine border, single guard stripes
and end panels, 307 by 206cm.; 10ft. by 6ft. 9in.

A Gorevan Carpet, the madder field with an indigo flower head medallion, pale-indigo spandrels, overall angular vines, within an indigo turtle palmetto border, 309 by 211cm.;

10ft. 2in. by 6ft.

A Kashan Carpet, the shaped ivory field with a lobed ivory and indigo pole medallion and an all-over profusion of flowering vines, within an indigo flowering tree border and

triple guard stripes, damages to sides, 316 by 232cm.; 10ft. 4in. by 7ft. 7in.

An Afghan Carpet, the madder field
with three columns of six octagonal gulls and
minor motifs, within a gull border and triple
guard stripes, 317 by 208cm.; 10ft. 5in. by
6ft.

A Heriz Carpet, the madder field with
an indigo medallion, pale-indigo spandrels,
overall angular vines, within an indigo rosette
border, 332 by 287cm.; 10ft

A Kuba Long Rug, the indigo field
with overall diagonal bands of star gulls, within
three borders, 318 by 134cm.; 10ft. 5in. by
4ft. 5in.

A Heriz Carpet, the madder field with
an indigo pole medallion and all-over
flowering vines and plants, within
complementary ivory spandrels, an indigo
palmetto and vine border and single guard
stripes, stained in one comer, 335 by 230cm.; lift,
by 7ft.

A Kashan pictorial silk Carpet, the
camel field with a Tree-of-Life flanked by horses, birds and flowering plants, the bottom end with a stream with fish and swans and various animals to one side, within a madder

palmetto and vine border and guard stripes, 350 by 320cm.; lift. 6in. by 10ft. 6in.

A Faraghan Carpet, the charcoal
field with all-over bother within a madder
palmetto and vine border and twin guard
stripes, 364 by 181cm.; 12ft. by 5ft.

A Heriz Carpet, the madder field with
a large indigo and madder flower head
medallion, pendant palmettos, pale-indigo and
madder spandrels within an indigo palmetto
and flowering vine border, cut for fireplace,
384 by 300cm.; 12ft.by 9ft.

A Kerman Carpet, the indigo field with
a lobed madder flower head medallion, camel
and madder spandrels, overall scrolling
flowering vines, within a madder plant
cartouche border, 390 by 305cm.; 12ft. Win. by
10ft.

An Ushak Carpet, the pale-camel field with an overall design of palmettos and angular vines within a pale-camel flower head border, 404 by 331cm.; 13ft. 3in. by 10ft.

A European hand-knotted Carpet, the
overall pink field with a trellis of flowering
vines within an ivory surround decorated with
roses, within complementary border and guard
stripes, tear at one end, 403 by 300cm.; 13ft. 3in.
by 9ft.

An Esfahan Carpet, the indigo field
with a central ivory foliate medallion,
complementary spandrels and all-over
flowering vines, within indigo cartouche and
flower head border and triple guard stripes,
412 by 301cm.; 13ft. 6V2in. by 9ft

A Kerman Carpet, the indigo field with
a madder arabesque medallion issuing scrolling
vines and arabesque palmettos, ivory cartouche
spandrels, overall floral vines, within a madder
vine interlace and palette border, 437 by
327cm.; 14ft.

A Kerman Carpet, the claret field with
indigo and pale-blue lobed pole medallion with
a profusion of flowering vines, within
complementary spandrels and a palette and
flowering vase border, 452 by 370cm.;
14ft.

An Eastern European Carpet, the
madder field with a lobed pole medallion and
a floral surround and flowering vase spandrels,
within an ivory cartouche border and twin
guard stripes, 460 by 359cm.; 15ft. by lift. 10m.

A Chinese Carpet, the pale-green field
with a beige oval medallion bearing a flower
spray, within complementary spandrels, an
ivory flowering vine border and one inner and
two outer guard stripes, 560 by 365cm.;
18ft. 4in.

A Mahal Carpet, the madder field with
an overall profusion of flowering plants and
vines, within an indigo palette and vine
border and twin guard stripes, border cut,
585 by 372cm.; 19ft. 3in. by 12ft.

An Indian silk and metal thread embroidered Prayer Panel, the charcoal field with a flowering vase supporting various birds and animals within complementary spandrels and

border, slight damages, 151 by 104cm.;

An Ottoman silk and metal embroidered Botha Fragment, 18th Century, the madder field with all-over flowering vines and plants, framed, cut, 76 by 114cm.; 2ft. 6in. by 3ft. 9in.;

together with a Provincial Ottoman Panel, the indigo field embroidered all-over with diagonal rows of madder gulls, 200 by 133cm.;

A Bokhara Susana, the ivory field with an all-over design of flowering plants within complementary spandrels and a palette and rosette border, worn, 161 by 109cm.; 5ft. 3in. by

3ft.

A Paisley pattern Shawl, the emerald field with a design of latticework vines supported by flowering plants and trees within a palmetto and vine border, 360 by 152cm.; lift

A Paisley pattern Shawl, with central crossed medallion and all-over madder palmettos and botch within complementary border, 335 by 162cm.; lift, by 5ft. 4in.

A Kashmir Shawl, the ivory ground
with a madder ‘diamond-shaped’ pole
medallion supported by complementary both
within an arabesque border, 185 by 108cm.;

TIBETAN CARPET, CHINESE PICTORIAL RUG, TABRIZ RUGS, MASHHAD AMOGHLI CARPET, KASHAN MOHTASHAM CARPET

A TIBETAN CARPET, the camel field with five four-clawed dragon medai¬llons, with a black fretwork border, 12ft. lin. by 9ft. 4in. (368cm. by 284cm.), circa 1950, condition:

fair.

AN OVAL CHINESE PICTORIAL RUG, depicting a galleon on the high seas, 7ft. 7in. by 4ft. 6in. (231cm. by 137cm.), circa 1925, condition: fair.

ANOTHER SIMILAR, 4ft. 6in. by 2ft. 7in. (137cm. by 79cm.), circa 1925, condition: fair.

A CHINESE CARPET, the ivory field with a medallion depicting a ‘dog-of-Fo’ and floral spandrels all with Taoist Symbols, butterflies and bats, four borders, 12ft. 7in. by Wft.

3in. (384cm. by 312cm.), circa 1920, condition: fair., slight wear, eut for fireplace

A CHINESE SILK RUG, the saffron field with a fretwork and flowerhead medallion and spandrels, vines and flowerheads, an unusual border of flowerheads and vines and a chevron

inner guard stripe, inscribed ‘Made for Use in the Hall of Central Harmony 8ft. by 5ft. 2in. (244cm. by 157cm.), circa 1880, condition: fair.

A HERIZ SILK PRAYER RUG, the madder mehrab with a central vase and a hanging lamp flanked by columns, indigo floral spandrels, an ivory border of flowers and vines, two inner

and three outer guard stripes, 5ft. lOin. by 4ft. 6in. (178cm. by 137cm.), circa 1840, condition: slight wear, restored

A FINE TABRIZ CARPET, depicting Michelangelo’s Statue of Moses, 7ft. llin. by 5ft. 8in. (241cm. by 173cm.), modem, condition: fair.

A KASHAN RAISED SILK RUG, the pale indigo field with a skeleton pole medallion and spandrels, ail with vines, flowerheads and palmettes, a rose madder border with leaves,

flowerheads and medallions, triple guard stripes, 6ft. 8in. by 4ft. Sin. (203cm. by 135cm.), circa 1930, condition: fair.

A PAIR OF TABRIZ RUGS, the walnut field with a camel medallion and
spandrels, ail with flowerheads and vines, a similar border and triple guard stripes,
6ft. 4in. by 4ft. Sin. (193cm. by 135cm.) and 6ft. 2in. by 4ft. 4in. (188cm. by 132cm.),
circa 1930, condition: fair.    (2)

A KERMAN PICTORIAL PRAYER RUG, the ivory mehrab with a central Tree of Life surrounded by birds and animais, with a pictorial medallion above enclosing a mosque and with animais

and birds below, the spandrels depicting mosques, trees and animais, the pale indigo border with buildings, trees, animais and birds, single floral guard stripes, 7ft. lOin. by

4ft. lOin. (239cm. by 147cm.), circa 1920, condition: fair.

ANOTHER SIMILAR, 7ft. 5in. by 4ft. Sin. (226cm. by 135cm.), circa 1920, condition: fair.

A TABRIZ SILK RUG, the madder field with an ivory pole medallion and spandrels ail with flowerheads and vines, a similar madder border, triple guard stripes, 5ft. Sin. by 3ft.

lOin. (165cm. by 117cm.), circa 1880, condition: fair.

A TABRIZ RUG, the plain madder field with an ivory vine medallion and spandrels, seven borders, 6ft. byAft. 6in. (183cm. by 137cm.), circa 1900, condition: fair.

A KASHAN MOHTASHAM RUG, the madder field with an indigo pole medallion and pale green spandrels, ail with palmettes, vines and flowerheads, a similar indigo border, twin guard

stripes, 7ft. by 4ft. 8in. (213cm. by 142cm.), circa 1900, con¬dition: fair.

A MASHHAD AMOGHLI CARPET, the ivory field with a madder pole medai¬llon and indigo spandrels, ail with an intricate design of curvilinear vines, palmettes, flowerheads,

cloudbands and arabesques, a madder boteh, palmette, vine and flowerhead border, triple guard stripes, 13ft. 8in. by lOft. lin. (417cm. by 307cm.), circa 1925, condition: fair.,

stained

A TEHERAN SILK RUG, the ivory field with an indigo medallion and spandrels, ail with vines and flowerheads, an ivory border with flowerheads and vines, two inner and three outer

guard stripes, 7ft. lin. by 4ft. 7in. (216cm. by 140cm.), modem, condition: fair.

A KASHAN MOHTASHAM CARPET, the ivory field with an indigo pole medal¬lion and rose madder spandrels, ail with vines, flowerheads and palmettes, a similar indigo border, four

inner and outer guard stripes, lift. 7in. by 7ft. 8in. (353cm. by 234cm.), circa 1900, condition: fair.

A KASHAN RUG, the indigo field with arabesques, palmettes, leaves and animais, a madder border of palmettes and vines, twin guard stripes, 7ft. lin. by 4ft. 4in. (216 cm. by

132cm.), circa 1930, condition: fair.

A RAISED WOOL RUG, the ivory field with a skeleton medallion and spandrels, ail with flowerheads and vines, palmette and vine border, triple guard stripes, 6ft. 8in. by 4ft.

2in. (203cm. by 127cm.), modem, condition: fair.

A KASHAN MOHTASHAM RUG, the walnut field with an indigo pole medalhon and spandrels, ail with vines and palmettes, an indigo palmette and arabesque border, triple guard stripes,

6ft. 6in. by 4ft. 5in. (198cm. by 135cm.), circa 1920, condition: fair.

Antique Chinese Carpets

It is only in the last few decades that Chinese carpets, previously overshadowed by the enthusiasm of collectors for Persian carpets, have been given the attention they long deserved. While the quality of Chinese carpets declined at the end of the 19th century, in part due to an increasing use of chemical dyes, one of the most appealing characteristics of earlier carpets was the unsurpassed, subtle use of colour.
A full appreciation of Chinese carpets must begin with an appreciation of the role that they played in the household, for they have never been used solely as decorative floor coverings. In northern China in particular, a feature of the average home was the k’ang, a brick or tile platform that was heated from beneath and on which the family would sleep. During the day the family would remove their mattresses and lay the family carpet on top of the k’ang. Since the k’ang was a central feature of the home so too was the carpet. In their service as house warmers, carpets were also hung on the walls. The symbolic motifs on carpets, which rank closely with the use of colours in determining their appeal today, dictated where a carpet would be situated in the home. Carpets with patterns that converged on the centre were placed on the floor; others were used as wall hangings.
The 19th century has been chosen as the point from which to take this brief look at Chinese carpets for with the arrival of chemical dyes the quality of colours in rugs changed completely. Chemical dyes destroyed the sheen and oils in the wool, making it stiff and dry so that the soft modulations of colour attainable with vegetable dyes were impossible to achieve.
The Use of Colour
The earliest carpets known date from about 1600, the time of the Ming Dynasty, and the use of colours was consistent throughout the succeeding two decades or so.
The most widely used colour was blue, derived from the indigo plant which produces shades from pale sky-blue ‘to black. It is possible that the Chinese used blue so much because it did not fade as other colours did, but merely became even bluer. This is useful in determining the age of a carpet, for clear blues suggest a recent carpet, while if all the colours including blue are dim then the carpet has probably been aged artificially.
Blue, though, is rarely used as a ground colour in old carpets, instead brown, white and yellow are used as the grounds for blue patterns, and in particular a soft brown was favoured. Principal shades of brown include fawn, tan, ochre and sand as well as a copper-brown called ku t’ung se. A dark brown was produced using manganese brown, but since this dye is corrosive it gives the effect of incised or punched out patterns. White comes in all shades, while yellow appears in shades from chicken yellow to honey, amber and orange. Most famous of all yellows is Imperial yellow, a pure luxurious colour that was reserved for the use of the court. Mandarin yellow has a touch of orange.
Chinese decorative motifs known as the Four Accomplishments.
There is not sufficient space here to list all the motifs used - books have been written on the subject - but an outline will give the potential collector an indication of the way the Chinese used their motifs.
The borders of very early carpets contain either a meander in the form of a T- or key pattern, swastikas, or what is called the hooked cross motif, which consists of C- or S- forms in continuous lines. The swastika is the symbol for happiness or luck and when it is made continuous it means `ten thousandfold happiness’.
Chinese language characters are used but only three are used symbolically - shou, fu and shuang hsi. Shou, which means long life, is the commonest of the three and it is usually found in stylized medallion form in the centre of the carpet. The character fu, meaning luck, is more common in embroidery than in carpets, possibly because it is difficult to stylize in the same way as shou and is more difficult to knot. Shuang hsi is the name given to a double hsi character, which means wedded bliss. A single hsi is not often used. Carpets with shuang hsi motifs were often given as wedding presents.
Naturalistic motifs are widespread and usually highly stylized. The cloud motif is distinctly Chinese despite comparisons with Turkish or Persian clouds and can be found scattered singly throughout the design or in cloud banks. Mountains and water are always found together, since the Chinese name for ‘landscape’ is shan shui - mountain water. The mountains are always shown emerging from the water. Sea and mountains together symbolize long life and luck. Water is depicted in various forms: multi-coloured semi-circles for calm water, square or triangular shapes with dots above to suggest spray, for rough water.
While human beings and gods rarely appear on carpets because of difficulties in knotting them, animals have a distinctive and treasured place in the repertory. The dragon, lung, is both the best known and most spectacular animal for it has high significance in Chinese religion and philosophy, representing a powerful god and the master of the forces of nature. Not surprisingly, the dragon became the Imperial emblem. In both form and concept the Chinese dragon is very different from the Western dragon, appearing as a reptile-like creature with snake-like body, four legs and a fantastic head. Almost always associated with the dragon is the pearl, chin, which the dragon is constantly striving to reach, for the pearl means perfection. A pair of dragons are often depicted fighting over the pearl. When the dragon was adopted as the Imperial emblem it evolved into two kinds, one with five toes on each foot (the lung dragon) being the Emperor’s motif as well as that of princes of the first and second rank, while the mang dragon with only four toes was used by lesser court officials.
The dragon motif is particularly cleverly used on pillar rugs - long narrow rugs which were used to decorate pillars on festive occasions. When the carpet is viewed flat on the ground, the coils of the beast appear to make little sense, yet when the carpet is wound around the pillar the coils join up and the dragon comes to life. Pillar rugs were usually made in pairs and were favourite gifts.
The phoenix, feng huang, is a composite of several creatures and is different from the apocalyptic beast of Ancient Greece, for in China its colour was a curious red that does not contain any blue and about which there has been much speculation as to its origin. It has been suggested that the carpetmaker was aware of the mellowing influence of time on this colour and may have made it by dyeing the carpet first with a fast yellow and then with a strong red, so that as the red faded the yellow began to show itself.
Black is only used occasionally, while gray is sometimes found in bands running along the outside edge of pre-18th century carpets. Green is very rare until the advent of aniline dyes which produced rather gaudy shades of this colour.
The Chinese were masters in the art of combining colours and, unlike Persian and Caucasian rugmakers, disliked using strong, unrelated colours. Two principles guided them – colour relatedness and colour gradation. Their inclination has been to always use blue motifs on brown grounds or a white and blue, which may have been inspired by Chinese porcelain. This latter combination was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. Pale yellow and blue were often popular as were carpets simply in varying shades of blue.
Carpet Motifs
The carpet designer was fortunate in having a rich heritage of symbolic motifs on which to draw and he gave free rein to his imagination when it came to adapting and combining those motifs. Chinese carpets contain a greater diversity of motifs than any other oriental carpets and are not simply decorative, but have a language of their own.
Decorative motifs. From top: Four classic scrolls, cloud collar or lappet, six cloud scrolls.
appearance heralded a period of good fortune. The creature was a composite of pheasant, swan, crane and mandarin duck and was the symbol of the Empress.
After the dragon, fo dogs are one of the best-known motifs associated with Chinese carpets. In mythology, such dogs, which resemble lions more than dogs, were said to be the companion of the Buddha and to guard Buddhist holy places. The male dog is often depicted playing with a ball, the female with a pup between her paws.
The unicorn, ch’i lin, also differs from the Western image and some authorities feel the Chinese had two varieties, one with the body of a stag with a long straight horn and the other with the body of an ox and a short, curved horn. The ch’i lin was said to live a thousand years and appear at the birth of sages. Genuine stags, lu, also appear as motifs, often holding the sacred fungus, ling chih, which can bestow immortality, or with a stork, a symbol of long life.
Perhaps the most frequent animal to appear is the bat, fu, which since its Chinese name sounds exactly like the symbol fu, also means luck. The butterfly appears on carpets from South China instead of the bat. Other animal motifs include fishes, usually the carp, the horse, rabbit, hare and tiger.
The commonest floral motifs are the lotus, peony and chrysanthemum. The lotus is both the symbol of purity and summer and, while they are sometimes difficult to distinguish on carpets from chrysanthemums, can be recognized by their accompanying seed pods. Other floral motifs include plum blossoms, bamboo and peach blossoms, although they are somewhat rarer than the previous three. The only fruits to appear as motifs are the peach, pomegranate and the citron, for each of these three has a meaning unlike other fruits. The peach, food of the gods, symbolizes longevity, the pomegranate signifies abundant male offspring, while the citron is a symbol for happiness since its rind is supposed to develop into petals resembling the classic position of the Buddha’s hand.
The two great religions of China, Taoism and Buddhism, are also represented on carpets in the motifs of the Eight Symbols of Taoism and the Eight Symbols of Buddhism. The former are a flower basket, flute, lotus, bamboo clappers, bamboo tube and rod, crutch or staff and gourd, sword and fan. The Buddhist symbols are the canopy, two fish, urn, lotus, conch shell, umbrella, knot of destiny and the wheel of law. Another group of Taoist motifs are the Eight Immortals who were supposed to live in Paradise and represent practitioners of various trades. Other groups of motifs include the Eight Precious Things and the Four Gentlemanly Accomplishments in antique Chinese carpets.