Page 83 - Christies March 16, 2017 The Varata Collection NYC

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A TAPERED NINGXIA PILLAR RUG

WEST CHINA, EARLY 19TH CENTURY
The rug has an ochre feld with a scrolling dragon and
cloud forms above a polychrome wave and cloud border.

Approximately 10 ft. 3 in. x 5 ft. 8 in. at the widest point
(312 cm. x 173 cm.)

$5,000-8,000

PROVENANCE

Te-Chun Wang Collection, Beijing, Hong Kong and
San Francisco.
Sandra Whitman, San Francisco.
The Marie Theresa L. Virata (1923-2015) Collection.

It is generally believed that a sponsor or a sponsoring
group gifted pillar and banner rugs, often in pairs, to
temples for festival days. The unusual tapered form of this
pillar rug indicates that it was given to a specifc temple
for a specifc pillar and would have wrapped around the
pillar so that the dragon form would spiral continuously up
the pillar. A nearly identical tapered pillar rug, and possibly
the pair to this rug, was exhibited at Birdshake’s Antique
Oriental Rug Gallery, San Francisco, 17 June-3 August,
1974, no. 7.

清十九世紀初 寧夏龍紋抱柱毯

來源
Te-Chun Wang 珍藏，北京﹑香港及舊金山
Sandra Whitman，舊金山
瑪麗·泰瑞莎·L·維勒泰 (1923-2015) 珍藏

一般相信一位或多位施主組成的團體，在年節時會捐贈
寺廟柱毯或掛毯，通常為成對。本件柱毯，很罕見的一
邊寬、一邊窄，可見是為了特定廟宇的特定柱子訂做，
掛於柱上時如見龍盤柱而上。可參考一件完全相同之抱
柱毯，或與本拍品為一對，於舊金山Birdshake’s東方地毯
藝廊展出，1974年6月17至8月3日，編號7。

THE MARIE THERESA L. V I R ATA C O L L E C T I O N OF ASIAN ART: A FAMILY LEGACY 81