NORTH CHINA, 18TH CENTURY

Details

A NINGXIA DAIS COVER
NORTH CHINA, 18TH CENTURY
Woven horizontally, scattered areas of wear and repair, reduced in width
7ft.6in. x 11ft.9in. (229cm x 359cm.)

Special notice

This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends. This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Brought to you by

Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam Head of Sale

batighi@christies.com +44 20 7389 2509

Lot Essay

The most striking feature of this carpet is the five-clawed imperial dragons within the five roundels. Widely depicted in all mediums of Chinese art, dragons are legendary creatures usually depicted as a long serpentine, scaly, wingless body with four claw-tipped legs and expressive, fanciful heads with wild manes, long mustaches and horns. The links between dragons and Chinese emperors go back to legends as old as that of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) (2697-2597 BC), who is said to have transformed into a dragon when he died during his ascension to heaven. These legends contributed to the adoption of the dragon as a symbol of imperial power, which eventually became a broader iconographic symbol representing the Orient.
For a comparable dais cover see the preceeding lot in the present sale.

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