Khotan
364 x 206 cm (11' 11" x 6' 9")
East Turkestan, early 19th century
Condition: very good, full pile, minor small repairs
Warp: cotton, weft: wool, pile: wool

The earliest depiction of a Khotan carpet with this rare design probably appeared in Der Orientteppich in Geschichte, Kunstgewerbe und Handel, Meyer Müller, 1917. That particular rug, later published in Schürman, Central Asian Carpets, differs from the present example in that in the corners we see quarter medallions instead of a fretwork design. At both ends we find a vase from which a stem with leaves rises towards the centre medallion. This diverges from the standard East Turkestan medallion and is instead related to Gansu rugs with the same design. Hans König published related examples in HALI 138, pp.60/61. In these we find an explanation for the winged form on top of the stem: butterflies borrowed from the Chinese tradition. The same source of inspiration can be found in the larger of the two floral motifs covering the rest of the field. A lotus flower surrounded by leaves curves to one side. The second smaller motif is a pomegranate with leaves, more commonly seen with the all-over design of the same name in East Turkestan rugs. A wonderful ‘Yun cai tou’ border in tandem with a restrained swastika meander frame the field perfectly. Interestingly, we find the rare small diamond border strip in reverse colouration to lot 42.