Antique Khotan
253 cm x 134 cm
Nr. 17522

Geometric Antique Khotan, light red with field pattern, border and Medaillon

Place of origin

Khotan is located in the northwestern Chinese province of Xinjiang. In Khotan, rugs with the colors and patterns of Turkmen and Chinese styles are hand-knotted. Western buyers, especially at first in Samarkand, were attracted to rugs from Khotan. The older rugs from Khotan are, therefore, often called Samarkand rugs. This antique Khotan is a collector's item. It is about 110 years old and, therefore, a really special piece. Antique rugs like this Khotan are still very popular and are sold at top prices by renowned auction houses.

Patterns

The so-called field pattern of this Khotan is reminiscent of a lushly overgrown garden with geometrically structured, individually bordered flowerbeds. This design is distinctive, which is why field design rugs are also called garden rugs in German. The individual panels of the design of this Khotan show different motifs, but follow a strictly symmetrical, rectangular arrangement.

There is a reason for this: large parts of Persia and many other regions of the Middle and Near East are desert or steppe-like arid areas, in which so-called irrigation horticulture is often practiced. Water is brought to the beds through small irrigation channels. Field patterns reflect this irrigation system in a very simplified way. Due to drought in these regions, flowering and green gardens are also a characteristic of it. The field pattern is therefore probably due to the desire to bring a little garden and thus a little paradise into the house. In Koran the term garden, a word of ancient Persian origins, appears very often as an earthly counterpart to paradise.

The background of this Khotan is light red. The border features old rose, curry and blue gray. The dark blue center combines the colors curry and pink.

Condition

This Khotan has had admirers before you. It was hand knotted about 1910. It has been thoroughly cleaned and only partially restored condition but is in good condition. We have not completely restored this Khotan because we think it is as it is effect. If you would like, we will of course restore the rug further for you. We can restore almost any rug to an almost perfect condition.

Material

The pile of this Khotan has been hand-knotted from high-quality virgin wool. Virgin wool is obtained through the gentle shearing of sheep. Virgin wool is a sustainable, natural raw material with a number of impressive properties; due to the wool's natural fat content, the surface repels water droplets and is thus naturally impervious to dirt. Wool also offers excellent thermal insulation, has a regulating effect on living climate and muffles sound. The weft and warp threads of this Khotan are made of cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and stretchable and, therefore, ideal for a durable backing fabric.