Chinese Peking 1022

This vintage Chinese Peking room-size rug from the late 19th century embodies the meditative simplicity and quiet beauty that define the finest examples of the Peking weaving tradition. A serene natural straw-gray field of great subtlety is framed by a rich navy and French blue border of quiet authority, while a single elegant flower vase motif anchors the center of the design, surrounded by a delicate vine of leaves and blossoms that flows gently across the field.

The straw-gray field — an unusual and particularly refined color choice within the Peking palette — gives this piece a cool, moonlit quality that feels both ancient and completely contemporary. Chinese Peking rugs, woven in the workshops of Beijing and the surrounding region from the late 19th century onward, occupy a unique place in the world of antique carpets — distinguished by their open, meditative designs, their luminous palette of soft naturalistic colors, and a design vocabulary drawn from the deep wells of Chinese art, philosophy, and symbolism. Where Persian rugs fill every inch with pattern, the great Peking rugs embrace emptiness as a design element, drawing on the Taoist aesthetic of stillness and the garden traditions of classical Chinese civilization.

Dimensions: 8' 11" x 11' 8"

Date of Manufacture: 4th Quarter of the 1800s

Place of Origin: China (Beijing)

Material: Wool pile on a cotton foundation with natural vegetable dyes

Condition: Wear consistent with age and use

SKU: 1022