Chinese Peking 1952

This 19th century oversized Chinese Peking rug in a near-square format is a rare and beautiful piece that evokes the serene aesthetic of the early Ningxia carpets of the 18th and early 19th centuries — a tradition characterized by extreme simplicity, luminous color, and a design vocabulary of quiet spiritual richness. The rug's unusually beautiful wheat-colored field, the color of ripe grain in autumn sunlight, is adorned with soft Tiffany blue, sky-blue, and navy motifs of extraordinary delicacy.

The open field is subtly decorated with auspicious Chinese symbols representing fortune, prosperity, and longevity — arranged with the measured restraint of the classical Chinese decorative tradition, where meaning is conveyed through understatement rather than elaboration. A flowing sky-blue meandering vine border frames the composition with gentle elegance. 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: 11' 7" x 14' 2"

Date of Manufacture: 4th Quarter of the 1800s

Place of Origin: China (Beijing)

Material: Wool pile on a cotton foundation with vegetable dyes

Condition: Wear consistent with age and use

SKU: 1952