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Lot Essay
The cloud-head border motif, known as Yün Tsai,T'ou in Chinese, and Uil-gen in Uighur, is discussed at greater length in respect to lot 284 in the same sale, and is the subject of Hans König's article in Hali, Issue 174. König discusses the various weaving centres within the Tarim Basin where this motif was employed and divides it into various subgroups, with the present lot falling under that of 'Unilateral cloud-heads'. The red 'cloud-heads' on this square cover stand in striking contrast with the yellow ground colour and the absence of decorative minor borders enhances them further, (H. König, 'Border Guards', Hali 174, p.49, fig.13).
The equally simplistic field design, comprising three columns of four stacked, coffered guls is known as a 'longevity' or 'cloud-lattice' pattern. The origin of the design remains mysterious, but due to its appearance in the carpets of East Turkestan, China, and India it seems likely to stem from the trading routes of the Silk Road and earlier silk textile designs (Edoardo Concaro and Alberto Levi, Sovrani Tappeti, Milan, 1999, p.174). An early Kangxi period (1662-1722) carpet, formerly in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, which sold in Christie's London, 21 April 2015, lot 69, displays the same overall lattice but within each of the individual coffers is an auspicious Chinese symbol. The design is also found within Chinese architecture and furniture, particularly domestic pierced fret-work wooden screens.
The equally simplistic field design, comprising three columns of four stacked, coffered guls is known as a 'longevity' or 'cloud-lattice' pattern. The origin of the design remains mysterious, but due to its appearance in the carpets of East Turkestan, China, and India it seems likely to stem from the trading routes of the Silk Road and earlier silk textile designs (Edoardo Concaro and Alberto Levi, Sovrani Tappeti, Milan, 1999, p.174). An early Kangxi period (1662-1722) carpet, formerly in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, which sold in Christie's London, 21 April 2015, lot 69, displays the same overall lattice but within each of the individual coffers is an auspicious Chinese symbol. The design is also found within Chinese architecture and furniture, particularly domestic pierced fret-work wooden screens.