Antique Peking Carpet

Chinese carpets and textiles have a rich history of weaving, dating back many centuries, particularly in the northern region of Ningxia. As these pieces began to catch the eye of the American and European markets around the turn of the 20th Century, the weaving centers moved to the capital, then known as Peking, which enabled the creation of finer, grander-scale pieces, the designs altering as the tradition developed to produce works with simpler geometries and restrained palettes which were more in line with the aesthetic sensibilities of the increasingly attentive Western market.

This elegant c. 1920s Peking carpet has a particularly unique design, taking inspiration from Chinese Art Deco carpets such as those designed in the Walter Nichols workshops of the period, with this piece imbueing elements of the Art Deco approach with abstracted features of more traditional Chinese weavings. Notable to this example of Peking design is its overall drawing, as opposed to the more standard central medalion motif standard to its time; the pattern is delicate and refined, with gentle floral forms softly weaved across a light blue field, restrained in its composition and effortlessly sophisticated. The sense of space and balance created by the artist’s arrangement of colour and form lends a certain modern sensibility to the work, a quality which allows it to seemlessly fit in contemporary spaces despite its era.

Retained in very good condition for everyday use, with its original outer borders preserved on all sides.

One of the most individual examples of Peking weavings we’ve had the pleasure to acquire, fit to compliment a wide range of interiors and furnishing styles.