Tienstin carpet

Tientsin carpet
from eastern China
circa 1900
Size: 300 x 250 cm

Chinese rugs and carpets became popular as decorative floor coverings during the second half of the 19th century and workshops were set up in major centres at that time in Peking and Kansu. Whilst later pieces from the ‘20s and ‘30s were of stout weave and robust, they lacked the aesthetic appeal and fine quality materials of earlier pieces. Traditionally these rugs featured just two or three colours – mainly blue and ivory.