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Khotan Silk, Eastern Turkestan, first half 19th century. 270 x 184 cm (8ft. 10in. x 6ft.; Warp: silk, weft: silk, pile: silk. Lot: 147, Austrian Auctions, Vienna, 22 April, Lot: 212,Estimate: € 30.000 – 40.000. This silk carpet has a certain Tibetan feel to it. Although it probably was not made in Tibet it may have been intended for export to the region but made in one of the neighbouring carpet producing centres in the oasis towns of eastern-Turkestan in the north or Gansu province in the east. The use of silk and its structure point towards Yarkand or Khotan while the design of the rug and the colours point more towards Gansu. The main border, the ‘Buddhist pearl’ minor border and the field show strong links to China, while the reciprocal other minor border is typical for Gansu. Note also that the ‘endless knot’ symbols in the corner of the same border. Only the decoration in the medallion and the corners could be considered to be east-Turkestan motives; the lack of any of the golden yellow typical of the region and the use of a different shade of red would further the argument that this is in fact a rug made in the Gansu. That having been said, Hans König noted in his seminal article about Gansu carpets in Hali 128 that he didn’t know any silk rugs from the area.

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