Dora Tan
Head of Sale, Specialist
Lot 1033
A TIGER-STRIPED WOOL RUG TIBET, CIRCA 19TH CENTURY
2 December 2021, 19:00 HKT
Hong Kong, Six Pacific PlaceHK$100,000 - HK$150,000
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Mark Rasmussen
International Director
A TIGER-STRIPED WOOL RUG
TIBET, CIRCA 19TH CENTURY
Natural colors, wool construction.
Himalayan Art Resources item no.4514
176 x 99 cm (69 1/4 x 39 in.)
Natural colors, wool construction.
Himalayan Art Resources item no.4514
176 x 99 cm (69 1/4 x 39 in.)
Footnotes
西藏 約十九世紀 毛料虎紋毯
This fine Tibetan rug features three colorful mandalas floating in a sea of abstract tiger stripes. Asymmetrically arranged, the stripes add dynamism to the composition while also lending coherence and order to the overall piece. The size and shape of the work suggest it was likely used as a sleeping rug (khaden), which would have been placed on a raised platform for its owner to rest at night. Sleeping rugs are used throughout Tibet. For other examples of khaden with similar three-medallion designs, see Cole, Patterns of Life, 2010, pp.82-4, nos.37-9. Also see a floor rug with a closely related tiger-skin design (ibid., p.49, no.12).
Published:
Deborah Ashencaen & Gennady Leonov, Visions of Perfect Worlds: Buddhist Art from the Himalayas, Spink & Son Ltd., London, 1999, no.80.
Provenance:
Spink and Son Ltd., London, 1999
Private European Collection