Antique Chinese Rug, China, circa 1900 – The carpet maker’s art is seldom characterized by the proverbial “less is more,” but this striking dawn of the twentieth century masterpiece is a prime example that it may be so. This work’s overall fawn coloration is broken only by a darker tinted inner border and a brace of mystical indigo dragons. In Chinese legend, the dragon is a magnificent and a powerful force bringing prosperity and benevolent influences.
This artistic dragon duo is displayed in an otherwise vacant field, each occupying opposing corners of a celestial void; the emptiness surrounding them highlighting the fine features within. Each serpentine colossus glares with tiger eyes and is bedecked from antlered brow to tail with delicate crescent scales. The stark contrast between background and beast gives the impression that the dragons are not within the weave but seemingly cling to the surface of the fibers with their powerful talons. This is truly a magic carpet.
