Chinese carpets, Beijing XXth China

Beijing/beijing carpet, antique finish circa 1950/70. Beijing carpets are much more compact than ningxia because their tighter weave, they are large, the wool is shinier. The oldest beijing drawings resemble those of the ningxia. At the end of the century, the motifs were simplified for easier weaving and to meet the taste of westerners, there are often plain backgrounds in blue, beige or white dotted with realistic bouquets of flowers and a large number of taoist symbols such as the hundred antiquities, the attributes of the eight geniuses, the eight precious objects and the four distinguished achievements. At the beginning of the century, the art nouveau style was adapted to the chinese tradition, sometimes happily. Production was established in tien-sin and other cities. On this model, we can see a reminder of the ningxia carpet thanks to the foaming waves as well as the arrows representing the cardinal points, the north and the south directing the center considered as "space", that of the empire of china, represented by a volatile decoration symbolizing luck. Dimensions: 333x243 cm fringes: about 3 cm per side. Condition: good slight wear on the first high edge of the carpet (in blue). Additional photos available upon request.