Chinese antique oriental carpets and rugs are beautiful pieces of Chinese art influenced by the religious faith of Buddhists, Taoists and Lamaists.
First woven in China over 2000 years ago, they were made from fine silk with symbolic and figurative imagery used as highly important themes.
 |
| Chinese Oriental Carpets - Created by Viryabo@Polyvore |
Pattern themes such as 'The hundred antiques', 'The fragrant fingers of Buddha', 'Waves and clouds of eternity', 'mythical dragon', 'the horse', and many of such distinctive patterns were characteristic features of their rugs.
Instantly recognised by their beautiful colours which mainly consisted of blue, apricot, and yellow, an antique Chinese oriental carpet is an embodiment of tradition and culture that also utilises light and soft tones of silk . . . dull yellow, salmon, brown, tan and rose.
Chinese carpets weavers of old used a reverse weaving method typical of antique Persian rugs with its quality determined by the number of knots in a finished carpet. The number of knots in a rug showed the remarkable effort that was put into its weaving.
Skilled weavers sometimes took up to two years to complete a hand-woven silk rug that measured about 1metre X 1.5metres (3ft X 5ft). Machine produced Chinese rugs don’t have knots and the fringe is attached after the carpet is woven.
There was no real oriental carpet industry in China until the mid-1700s
Today, the production of Chinese rugs and carpets have become highly commercialised with the same unique patterns extensively imitated, and fringes are sewn on after weaving.
And because they are highly popular and sought after (they fit into most home décor themes), there are very affordable and sometimes cheap versions in the market with shapes, patterns, and colours made solely to appeal to the western world.
Unfortunately, modern Chinese rug weavers and producers have disregarded old traditions and methods of production.
