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Lot Essay
The inscription at one end of this carpet indicates that it was made for the Qianqing’gong (The Palace of Heavenly Purity) in the Forbidden City.
The Qianqing Palace was the first of the Three Rear Halls, formerly contained the sleeping chambers of Ming emperors. During the Qing dynasty, however, emperors began to manage state affairs from the Qianqing Palace. The Palace was eventually turned into a formal living room and offices where emperors summoned subordinates for consultation, received foreign envoys, as well as gave banquets for family members, relatives and high officials (see Wan-go Weng and Yang Boda, The Palace Museum: Peking, Treasures of the Forbidden City, 1982, p. 50).
It is uncertain whether or not this carpet was ever used in the Palace, but if it were, carpets inevitably would have been replaced at regular intervals.
The Qianqing Palace was the first of the Three Rear Halls, formerly contained the sleeping chambers of Ming emperors. During the Qing dynasty, however, emperors began to manage state affairs from the Qianqing Palace. The Palace was eventually turned into a formal living room and offices where emperors summoned subordinates for consultation, received foreign envoys, as well as gave banquets for family members, relatives and high officials (see Wan-go Weng and Yang Boda, The Palace Museum: Peking, Treasures of the Forbidden City, 1982, p. 50).
It is uncertain whether or not this carpet was ever used in the Palace, but if it were, carpets inevitably would have been replaced at regular intervals.