Beautiful Red Background Ningsia Antique Chinese Rug 43024

Size: 4 ft 7 in x 6 ft 7 in (1.4 m x 2.01 m)
Origin: China

Exemplifying eastern design traditions, this 19th century carpet from Ningshia features a dimensional pinyin wan border and a bold red field decorated with sparse roundels and a traditional medallion.

A Highly Artistic Rare Ningsia Red Background Antique Chinese Rug, Country of Origin: China, Circa Date: 1900 – A classic Chinese design unfurls with graceful simplicity on this stunning antique Chinese Ningsia / Ningxia rug. An approximately circular medallion with stepped contour and cruciform filler ornament floats at the center of a fiery ‘Chinese red’ field, surround by clusters of openwork floral whorls. An inner border of diamond lattice rosettes is surrounded in turn by a running meander pattern rendered in three-dimensional ‘trompe l’oeil’ technique. Guard stripes and an outer zone of navy add further structure to the framing border system.

While antique Chinese carpets are generally known for their soft, restrained coloration, the palette here reminds us of the importance of color in classic Chinese design, especially red. In Chinese culture the color red is very significant. It symbolizing positivity and things like good luck, joy and happiness. Red is also a celebratory color and is strongly associated with things like vitality and fertility in the more traditional symbolism meanings of color in China. In addition, Chinese brides will also wear red as protective color to help ward off any form of evil.

The floating circular elements portray what seem to be birds or more specifically cranes, which play a major part in Chinese art. This combination of brighter / happier colors and free flowing approach to the design is a departure from the more structured and softer colors that we usually expect to see in the rugs from China.

Finding antique rugs like this, that are unique withing their own grouping, is quite exciting. People who are buying area rugs and are wanting to source rugs that more unique and different would be excited to come across such area rugs. The timeless beauty, historical feel, magnificent use of both form and color make this red background antique Chinese Ningsia rug a truly remarkable piece of Chinese history as well as a beautiful rug for the floor.

Shopping Cart