First half 17th century, 44 x 101 cm, North East China, Beijing

This rectangular horizontal fragment with two peonies on a golden, originally deep red ground constitutes part of the lateral field section of a Chinese carpet from the late Ming period, known as “The Empress Dowager peonies carpet” in publications. The Empress Dowager Cixi (1835 – 1906) used this carpet in her private temple in the palace. When the Boxer Rebellion was overthrown in 1900 and parts of the “Forbidden City“ were looted by Alliance troops, many historic carpets left the country. Purchased by Louis C. Tiffany via his Beijing agent, the carpet arrived in New York in 1906, then measuring 9.68 x 9.99 metres, and was sold at auction by the American Art Association in New York in 1916. During its eventful history in the hands of various owners it was reduced in width several times to adapt it to the respective sizes of various rooms. Still 7.20 x 9.99 metres in size today, the carpet is now in an American collection. At least seventeen mostly small-format fragments are known to exist. – The 2005 publication on the Cologne exhibition illustrates the “Tiffany” carpet in its current condition (ill. 25, p. 27). Two fragments of the border and field were on display (cat. no. 9, p. 69). The catalogue entry surmises that contrary to previous belief, the carpet was not woven in one of the workshops of Ningxia, the West Chinese weaving centre, but in an Imperial workshop in Beijing.

Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst Köln (publ.), Glanz der Himmelssöhne. Kaiserliche Teppiche aus China 1400 – 1750. Text by Michael Franses and Hans König. London 2005, ill. 25, p. 27 and cat. 9, p. 69 *** FRANSES, MICHAEL & WATERHOUSE, RUPERT, Lion-dogs, Hu