406 - Chinese rug (cotton warp and weft, wool pile), likely hand-knotted in the Beijing area, northeastern

Chinese rug (cotton warp and weft, wool pile), likely hand-knotted in the Beijing area, northeastern China, circa 1940–1980 H. 245 cm - W. 292 cm AC Slight wear and fraying The blue background is embellished with peonies and floral scrolls. “Beijing, the capital of China, is located in the southwest of a small plain that appears to be an extension of the vast North China Plain, which covers Hebei Province and most of Henan, Shandong, and Anhui provinces. Like Shanghai and Tianjin, it is an autonomous municipality. It appears that, from the beginning of recorded history, the Beijing region has served as an important transit point between the centers of the Yellow River’s great plain and the mountainous regions of the northeast. Remains of an early settlement have been discovered near the present-day Marco Polo Bridge. The city’s past has been eventful. The capital, known as Ji in the 4th century BCE, was destroyed in 226 BCE, then reemerged during the Han dynasty under the name Yan. It regained its status as a capital under the Tang (618–907), the Khitans (936–1122), and the Jurchen in 1153. (…) Beijing is home to a number of workshops that weave classic Chinese-style carpets or pieces featuring designs known as “floral” or “aesthetic,” which are also produced in other Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Tianjin.” Bibliographic Reference: E. Gans-Ruedin - “Le tapis de Chine,” Office du Livre-Editions Vilo, Paris, 1981, pp. 97–98