Page 104 - Christies Fine Chinese Works of Art March 2016 New York

THE COLLECTION OF ROBERT HATFIELD ELLSWORTH

•1388
A SILK AND METAL THREAD ‘NINE DRAGON’ CHINESE CARPET

LATE 19TH CENTURY, OR POSSIBLY EARLIER

The carpet is woven with nine dragons chasing faming pearls on the silver ground within a
polychrome wave pattern border, all beneath a three character inscription, Qianqing Gong,
which translates to ‘The Palace of Heavenly Purity’.
Approximately 142 in. (360.8 cm.) x 105 in. (266.7 cm.)

$30,000-50,000

PROVENANCE

By repute, the Louisa McNeary Collection, New York, 1960s.

LITERATURE

A. Martin, “American Mandarin,” Connoisseur, November 1984, p. 95.

The Qianqing Gong, or Palace of Heavenly Purity, the frst of the Three Rear Halls, formerly contained
the sleeping chambers of Ming emperors. During the Qing dynasty, however, emperors began to
manage state afairs from the Qianqing Gong. The Palace was eventually turned into a formal living
room and ofices where emperors summoned subordinates for consultation, received foreign envoys,
as well as gave banquets for family members, relatives and high oficials (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 actually in the Palace but if it were, carpets inevitably would have been
replaced at regular intervals.
Three similarly inscribed carpets, all of foral medallion design, were sold at Christie’s, including one
sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2005, lot 1288, and two others sold at Christie’s New York, 4 June
1992, lot 160, and 3 December 1992, lot 156. More recently, a similar silk and metal thread carpet, but
with a diferent inscription and design, sold at Christie’s London, 5 November 2008, lot 174.
Contemporary Western scholarship has traditionally placed these silk and metallic thread carpets as
late 19th or early 20th century based on the dyes and weave. Most carpets woven during the late 19th
century are copies of earlier carpets yet there are no known examples of Chinese silk carpets with
similar designs, let alone examples with metallic thread, from the 17th century or earlier. One wonders if
they did exist and are now either destroyed or not yet discovered.
Mr. Ellsworth treasured this carpet and always referred to it as a Qianlong Imperial carpet, and like
some, felt this group could be earlier than current scholarship believes.
清十九世紀晚期或以前 盤金屬絲九龍紋毯

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