China 201 × 140 cm

Carpet No.: 221

Size: 201×140 cm

Knot density: 60,000 to 90,000 knots per m²

Age: New 0-20 years

Composition: wool

Workmanship: hand knotted

The production of Chinese carpets is thought to have begun around the 17th century, encouraged by the Mongols who settled in the territory and founded the Yuan empire, which ruled China until 1368. The art of knotting, however, did not spread throughout the country, but rather in specific areas: Ningxia, Shandong, Hebei, Shaanxi, Gansu and Inner Mongolia. Among the numerous symbols that appear on carpets from every era, those of naturalistic inspiration are frequent, such as the lotus flower, archetype of summer and the concept of purity, and the narcissus, flower of winter and good luck. There is no shortage of references to mythical animals, among which absolute priority is given to the dragon. The Chinese dragon has a wingless, serpentine body, an imposing head and robust jaws. Already at the dawn of local culture, it was chosen to represent imperial royalty and good governance; in the most ancient iconography it had five claws when it embodied the divine authority of monarchic power, four when it indicated the nobility of the court. The symbol of the swastika is also very widespread, probably derived from primitive solar cults and then passed to Buddhism as an emblem of infinite happiness. The variety of colors used is decidedly limited. Blue and yellow are the pair of colors that stand out most frequently on carpets. This choice harks back to the ancient Taoist cosmogony, with its dualism between yin and yang. The color of yin is yellow, considered a symbol of imperial power; blue represents yang and the color of the dragon. Red is totally absent, instead we find pink, apricot and salmon.