Khotan

Woven in an oasis town of the the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, a Turkic speaking autonomous region in the far west of China, this piece is remarkably faithful to the drawing of much earlier Khotan carpets. The central field is drawn with two columns of stylized potted pomegranate trees, growing at the top and bottom towards the center. The inner and outer borders reflect Chinese varieties, while the central border may be a local Silk Road rendition of something originating from the Near East or Central Asia. Formerly in the inventory of the legendary dealer William Coury.