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Antique Ningshia, China, circa 1900. The restrained grandeur of classical Chinese rug weaving informs this masterful Ningshia carpet, made in an imperial manufactury in the waning years of the Manchu dynasty. Here amidst a relatively open blue field, floral sprays, flying birds, and dragons hover above a cherry blossom tree with a perching phoenix. A main border of cloudbands and ‘hundred gift’ motifs surrounds the field with minor chain and fretwork borders added for framing contrast. The grace, refinement, and naturalism of the drawing imparts an impression of reality amidst the essential fantasy of the design.
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