Antique Chinese Oriental Rugs 43321

Chinese Rug, China, Late 19th Century - This lovely antique Ninghsia epitomizes the consummate elegance and restraint of classic Chinese rug design. At the center and openwork medallion floats gracefully amidst sprays of flowering branches on a pale tan ground. The entire composition treads the fine line between ornament and figural representation. The inner medallion itself is a scene of sorts, while the life-like branches of the field are arranged in a balanced array, but not symmetrically as a design. It is only in the precisely drawn meander and vinescroll borders that we return to the world of ornamental pattern, which provides a perfect contrast to the organic realism of the field.