Khotan

This piece is part of a small group of pictorial rugs woven in the Tarim Basin in the far west of China in the early twentieth century. While the weavers of this region were Turkic speaking Muslims, the genre is heavily reliant on Chinese decorative arts. Four distinct types of flower pots are drawn against an apricot ground. However, the border is a local variant reflecting the style of these eastern Silk Road weavers. Formerly in the inventory of the legendary dealer William Coury.