A NINGXIA ‘DRAGON’ PILLAR RUG, NORTH CHINA, 19TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A NINGXIA ‘DRAGON’ PILLAR RUG, NORTH CHINA, 19TH CENTURY Hand-knotted and woven in wool in tones of blue, orange, white, pink, and brown, depicting a long sinuous dragon pursuing a flaming pearl as its body writhes vertically across a maize-yellow ground, its scaled body terminating in five-clawed feet and a streaming tail, surrounded by auspicious emblems and scrolling clouds. The upper register is centered by a fierce zipak mask beneath a broad geometric band from which descend festooned strings of beads arranged in scallops and punctuated by pendent ornaments. Below, a broad lishui border, with a central mountain peak rising above rhythmic bands of multicolored waves issuing from scrolling clouds. Dimensions: Size 250 x 85 cm Carpets of this format were intended to be wrapped around the pillars in Buddhist temples so that the designs joined to form a continuous pattern. The drawing of the dragon in the present lot is particularly imposing as he writhes across the field in pursuit of the flaming pearl, the symbol of wisdom, that remains forever just out of reach. It is believed that these pieces were woven by Muslim weavers from the late 18th century in the province of Ningxia in China, although most were destined for monasteries within Mongolia or Tibet. Along with the stylized clouds and decorative ornate pelmet as seen here, the dragon is often surrounded by a number of Buddhist symbols such as 'the knot of destiny', the wheel, conch shell, fish and lotus flower. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 16 March 2017, lot 655 Price: USD 30,000 or approx. EUR 35,000 (for two) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related motif and similar rendering of the dragon and zipak masks. Note the size (236 cm. x 89 cm) and that the comparable is a pair. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 16 March 2017, lot 619 Price: USD 50,000 or approx. EUR 58,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related motif and similar rendering of the dragon. Note the size (312 cm. x 173 cm).

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