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A FINE IMPERIAL KESI FLOOR COVERING SECTION example of such luxury goods and stylistically similar to this carpet (see
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736 - 1795) Robert D. Jacobsen, Imperial Silks, Minneapolis, 2000, vol. 2, no. 419, pp.
The carpet is fnely woven from delicate silk and gold-wrapped threads 868-869).
depicting six fve-clawed dragon roundels reserved on a gold ground strewn
with sprays of fowers, fruits and bats, all framed by waves on which foat The drawing of the dragons and waves with precious emblems and
clusters of the ‘Eight Treasures’, babao, and a further border enclosing a square square fret with foral scrolls are typical of Qianlong design. The large-
fret and scrolling stem of additional fowers on a dark ground. scale naturalistically depicted fower and fruit sprays also fnd parallels in
85¡ in. x 60¬ in. (217 x 154 cm.)
the innovations in decorative textile arts of this period, like those on the
£30,000-50,000 $43,000-70,000 supplemental weft-patterned brown satin overcoat in the Cleveland Museum
€35,000-57,000 of Art (see J. Vollmer, Ruling from the Dragon Throne, Berkeley, 2002, fg.
4.48, p. 130) or the Qianlong consort outer robes in the Palace Museum,
Beijing (Gugong Bowuyuan Cang Wenwu Zhenpin Quanji, Hong Kong, 2005,
The auspicious iconography of dragon roundels on the present foor covering
vol. 51, no. 79, pp. 128-129; no. 123, p. 199).
suggest that this was used to signify the Imperial presence of the Qianlong
Emperor. The size indicates that it was made for a more intimate setting A very similar kesi foor covering was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong 27
than the monumental halls of the Forbidden City’s outer court. Kesi foor November 2007, lot 1824.
coverings were frequently used for palace decorations during this period, as
suggested by the large number of surviving throne seat and back cushion
covers as well as elbow cushions. A throne seat cushion cover in yellow silk 清乾隆 御製緙絲金地團龍紋地毯
with a single dragon roundel in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is both an

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