Notes on Oriental Rugs by Barry O'Connell

Guide to Khotan Rugs and Carpets

A Khotan saph, East Turkestan, circa 1850 Sotheby's Lot 76

There are a group of oasis towns in the Khotan (Hotan) in the southern Uyghur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang of Communist occupied China. Chinese Turkistan or East Turkestan has had a steady production of carpets since at least the 17th century. Now some of the high end rug dealers suggest that this production of carpet was started by the importation of Mughal carpets from India. I have a problem with this theory. East Turkestan was part of Mogholistan in the 15th and 16th century. Mogholistan did not reach the cultural heights of the Timurid Herat but I find it hard to believe that they had to import their carpets. Frankly we know that they were producing slip loop pile rugs in Xinjiang 2200 years before the supposed start of weaving so it seems more like a fanciful tale to sell a 6 or 7 figure carpets to the oil rich.

It is likely that rugs and carpets were made in Xinjiang continuously for thousands of years we know that there was weaving in Khotan and Yarkand and likely in a number of other towns. We hear the term Samarkand for these rugs occasionally. Samarkand is in Turkestan proper or Uzbekistan as we now know it. While it is likely that other carpets were woven there the rugs we know as Samarkand are in reality from East Turkestan.

Are all the rugs that we call Khotan really from Khotan? Not likely. it seems that Khotan is often used as a trade term for all Xinjiang carpets.

Khotan Rugs: East Turkestan Silk Carpet probably Khotan, circa 1800 Sotheby's Lot 122 Khotan Rugs: Khotan Rug circa 1900 Sotheby's Lot 100 Khotan Rugs: Khotan Rug mid-19th century Sotheby's Lot 27 Khotan Rugs: Khotan Carpet third quarter 19th century Sotheby's Lot 60 Khotan Rugs: A Khotan saph, East Turkestan, circa 1850 Sotheby's Lot 76 Khotan Rugs: Samarkand Simurgh Bowl 10th Century Christie's Samarkand Carpet Doris Leslie Blau 1st quarter 20th C. Sotheby's lot 111 Doris Leslie Blau Samarkand Carpet C. 1910 Sotheby's lot 110 Samarkand Carpet Doris Leslie Blau C. 1910 Sotheby's lot 109 Modern Uzbek Tribal Structure The Carol Bier Small Ceremonial Rug Khotan Rugs: Hetian (Khotan) rugs, C. 1930 W&W lot 309 Khotan Rugs: Khotan carpet C.1900 Sotheby's lot 89 Khotan Rugs: Khotan rug C. 1900 Sotheby's lot 30 Khotan Rugs: Khotan Carpet Doris Leslie Blau C. 1800 Sotheby's lot 181 Khotan Rugs: Khotan rug early 19th C. Sotheby's lot 299 Khotan Rugs: Kotan rug early 19th C. Sotheby's lot 51 Khotan Rugs: Khotan carpet C.1900 Sotheby's lot 89 Khotan Rugs: Khotan rug C. 1900 Sotheby's lot 30 Khotan Rugs: Khotan kelleh early 20th C. Sotheby's lot 425 Khotan Rugs: Hetian (Khotan) rugs, C. 1930 W&W lot 309

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS East Turkestan Silk Carpet
Colours: Ivory,pale aqua blue, pale saffron, pale apple green, melon abrashed to golden yellow, coral, rose pink, dark walnut
Warps: Silk, variously ivory or pale madder, Z3S
Wefts: Cotton, natural ivory, Z spun, 2-6 strands, 2 shoots
Pile: Silk, Z spun, 4(?) Sw plied, asymmetric open to the left
Sides and Ends: Later overcast

See also Khotan Rugs Khotan Carpets

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