CHINA, KANGXI PERIOD, 17TH CENTURY

THE HEXAGONAL LATTICE IS ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY ENCOUNTERED DESIGN FEATURES IN ISLAMIC ART. PARTICULARLY ON TILE REVETMENTS, EITHER IN THE ORIGINAL OR AS DEPICTED IN MINIATURES, THE ALMOST INFINITE VARIETY OF VERSIONS IS A DELIGHT. THE PRESENT DESIGN, WHILE A VARIANT ON THE THEME THAT RARELY APPEARS ITSELF, EXCEPT IRONICALLY AT THE OTHER END OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD IN MOROCCO, IS IN SPIRIT ENTIRELY IN KEEPING WITH THE TILE DESIGNS THAT A 17TH CENTURY TRAVELLER WOULD HAVE ENCOUNTERED ON THE SILK ROUTE THROUGH SUCH FORMER TIMURID CITIES AS SAMARKAND AND BOKHARA. WHEN DISCUSSING A COMPARABLE RUG, EBERHART HERRMANN NOTED THAT THAT PIECE MUST HAVE BEEN MADE FOR INTERNAL CONSUPTION IN NING HSIA, WITH ITS LARGE ISLAMIC POPULATION, RATHER THAN FOR EXPORT TO THE IMPERIAL CITIES (HERRMANN, EBERHART: ASIATISCHE TEPPICH- UND TEXTILKUNST, VOL.3, MUNICH, 1991, NO.74, PP.156-7). THE SAME IS PROBABLY TRUE HERE.