NORTH CHINA, LATE MING DYNASTY, FIRST HALF 17TH CENTURY

The term 'RKO' rug was first coined by Charles Grant Ellis in 1967, when discussing the design of a Chinese rug in the Textile Museum. His description of the dynamic 'stroke and dash' field design as being akin to the famous sonic waves of the RKO Picture Inc. logo, was so apt that the term has stuck (see Charles Grant Ellis, 'Chinese Rugs', Textile Museum Journal, vol II/3, Washington DC, 1967, p.48). This mysterious group of rugs woven by Muslim weavers in Ningxia, Kansu and Khotan share a number of design characteristics apart from the 'stroke and dash' field pattern. All of the examples have a bold central medallion, a small format, a similar colour palette and instead of a conventional border the majority have bold end panels. The present example is one of the few examples without end panels and is very similar to a foliate dragon design rug that was one of the first RKO rugs to be published (John Kimberley Mumford, 'Chinese Rugs', The Mentor, New York, 1 March 1916). In his consideration of this unusual sub-group Konig questions whether this group without end panels are an earlier, nobler version of the RKO rug or a later simplification (see Hans Konig, 'The RKO Family', Hali 110, May-June 2000, pp.96-105). Arguably, the James D. Burns foliate dragon rug is one of the most archaic and lyrical or all the known RKO rugs.

In recent months two related Ningxia RKO rugs have appeared at auction, the Herrmann RKO rug at Rippon Boswell, 24 November, 2012, lot 86, and a later, early nineteenth century, example at Grogan, Boston, 20 January 2013, lot 226. In the auction price guide, Hali, Issue 174, p.111, the reviewer of the Herrmann rug considers whether the weaver may have been imitating the Burns example. For a comprehensive discussion of the group please see Konig, op cit.