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Lot Essay
The five-character Chinese inscription reads; Jingren gong yuyong, which when translated reads, ‘for the use of the Palace of Great Benevolence’, one of the six Eastern Palaces of the Forbidden City.
First built in 1420, the Palace of Great Benevolence faces south within the complex and houses a stone screen inside the main entrance which is said to date from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Originally it was the residence for the emperors’ concubines in the Ming Dynasty (1368-144). In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661-1722) was born and lived here temporarily. After that time, it was used by the emperors’ wives. A number of the palaces were restored during the 17th century and now most have been turned into exhibition halls to display Chinese treasures collected by the imperial family.
The panelled design of the present carpet would have married perfectly with the pierced fretwork wooden screens and furniture used within the rooms and echoes the decorative and ornate coffered ceilings employed within many of the halls and palaces. Through the use of the metal-thread woven ground the silk-piled design naturally stands in greater relief. This has been accentuated further with the employment of a darker indigo outline surrounding the pale blue retwork panelling, which enhances the three dimensional illusion still further. A carpet with a comparable field design sold in Christie's, Hong Kong, 31 May 2010, lot 1930.
First built in 1420, the Palace of Great Benevolence faces south within the complex and houses a stone screen inside the main entrance which is said to date from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Originally it was the residence for the emperors’ concubines in the Ming Dynasty (1368-144). In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661-1722) was born and lived here temporarily. After that time, it was used by the emperors’ wives. A number of the palaces were restored during the 17th century and now most have been turned into exhibition halls to display Chinese treasures collected by the imperial family.
The panelled design of the present carpet would have married perfectly with the pierced fretwork wooden screens and furniture used within the rooms and echoes the decorative and ornate coffered ceilings employed within many of the halls and palaces. Through the use of the metal-thread woven ground the silk-piled design naturally stands in greater relief. This has been accentuated further with the employment of a darker indigo outline surrounding the pale blue retwork panelling, which enhances the three dimensional illusion still further. A carpet with a comparable field design sold in Christie's, Hong Kong, 31 May 2010, lot 1930.