NORTH CHINA, LATE 18TH CENTURY/EARLY 19TH CENTURY

The rich tomato-red field arranged with diagonal rows of alternating coloured flowers is closely related to the Waroudjian peony silk Ningxia carpet in the Thyssen Bornemisza collection that was formerly in the Textile Gallery, London and Battilossi, Turin, (Hali 33, 1987, p.91). Both carpets share the same palette but also the same scrolling peony vine border with double geometric inner guard stripes and plain outer stripe. The field of peonies and leafy vine scrolls is found on Ming dynasty ceramics and carpets such as the pile fragment in the Museum fur Kunstandwerk, Frankfurt, see Michael Franses, ‘Early Ninghsia Carpets’, Hali, Vol.5, No.2, figs.2 and 6, p.136. It is commonly accepted that Chinese carpets are notoriously difficult to date accurately. Friedrich Sphuler is of the opinion that a carpet in such good condition as the Thyssen, with virtually no colour fade, could not be woven any earlier than the 19th century, (Friedrich Sphuler, Carpets and Textiles, The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, No.65, pp.234-5), while Michael Franses suggests that it was more likely woven in the 18th century due to the inner interlace ‘T’ guard stripe and plain outer grey stripe, (Michael Franses, First under Heaven, Hali Publications London, 1997, Chapter 6, pp.92-94). Whether 18th or early 19th century, we can be sure that this carpet is part of a rich and beautiful Chinese artistic heritage.