Art Deco Rug with Abstract Design
This rare and unusual Art Deco rug with abstract design, which is perhaps more reminiscent of a contemporary painting than a weaving, is decorated with a ‘salt and pepper’ effect through the miscellany of red and blue wools of various shades. In the areas where the red/blue wool ratio is higher, the pile seems to exude a red light, as if filtering through a blue layer. This painterly treatment of wool color is fairly unique to this puzzling group of Chinese carpets, which often contain hidden geometric motifs similar to weaver’s marks, perhaps identifying the carpet with a specific atelier or weaver. Many of these carpets were sourced directly in China, indicating that this type was probably not intended for export but rather the result of a local commission.