Khotan rug, ca. 1800, seen on auction

LOT: 40
RUG NAME: Khotan
AGE: ca. 1800
ESTIMATE: 20,000—30,000 USD
SOLD: 21,600 USD
DESCRIPTION: LOT 40 A KHOTAN CARPET, EAST TURKESTAN, 20,000—30,000 USD MEASUREMENTS approximately 12ft. 4in. by 6ft. 5in. (3.76 by 1.96m.) DESCRIPTION circa 1800 Condition Note: foldwear, very minor cobbled repairs, small patches sewn to reverse, slight losses to ends, overcast sides, CATALOGUE NOTE The border system of this triple medallion East Turkestan carpet combines elements generally used in field designs (the polychrome rosettes of the widest madder ground border that are also the central motifs of each oval) with multiple floral borders in a possibly unique combination. The open madder ground with three ovoid medallions and mazework trellis corners is shared with other Khotan carpets such as lot 105, Sotheby's New York, 7 April 1999 and 30 May 1987, lot 128; Rippon Boswell, Wiesbaden, 17 November 2001, lot 171; Herrmann, Eberhart, Seltene Orientteppiche X, Munich 1988, pl. 112; and Seltene Orientteppiche V, Munich 1983, pl. 91; Bidder, Hans, Carpets from Eastern Turkestan, Tübingen 1979, pl. VI, figs. 1, 2, pl. VIII, fig. 2; Spuhler, König, Volkmann, Alte Oreintteppiche, Munich 1978, pl. 104. These other Khotan weavings each have a few decorative motifs such as clouds or rosettes scattered on the ground while the carpet offered here has an unembellished field with the medallions and spandrels being the only decoration . This starkness is found more often on carpets woven in Yarkand which lies to the west of Khotan along the silk route. For a few Yarkand examples see the Meyer-Müller carpet, sold Christie's New York, 11 September 1990, lot 128 and a carpet sold more recently here, Sotheby's New York, 1 October 2002, lot 270.

AUCTIONHOUSE: Sothebys
AUCTION: Carpets
LOCATION: New York
DATE: 01-06-2006
WEB SITE: http://www.sothebys.com
PHOTO COURTESY: Sothebys

Other rug names: East Turkestan rug, Khotan, Khotan carpet, Khotan rug, Khotan SAF, Kothan, Samarkand, Silk carpet Yarkand, Silk Kashgar carpet fragments,