Small tiger rug
N°
ALG 1723
Period
Circa 1880
Origin
Tibet
Status
Sold
Size
70 cm x 32 cm2'3" x 1'0"
When I uncovered this piece in a Chinese private collection it was framed by a green tie-dyed fabric with the ‘pulao’ pattern. The collector then decided to remove it since (he later explained to me) this made the piece look tidier. Although it’s wider than the piece in the Piccus collection (R.P. Piccus, Sacred & Secular – The Piccus Collection of Tibetan Rugs, Chicago 2011, plate 26) it’s possible that it was originally one of those cylindral weavings used as protection against evil. Apparently it was once in the Potala Palace in Lhasa.