Chinese rugs

Ningxia carpets

Ningxia, in north central China, was a center of wool and weaving. Carpets have been made there since at least the early 17th century, and many of the larger antique Chinese carpets exported around 1900 came from this region.

Antique Ningxia carpets are coarsely knotted, at roughly 25 to 35 knots per square inch. That is far fewer than a fine Persian city rug, and it is normal for these carpets.

Peking rugs

A commercial weaving industry grew in Beijing, then called Peking, after about 1850. Western buyers who loved blue and white Chinese porcelain drove much of the demand.

Peking rugs from roughly 1860 to 1920 are fairly consistent. They have white cotton foundations, and nearly all are woven in blue and white.

Art Deco and Nichols rugs

In the 1920s and 1930s, workshops in Tianjin and Beijing wove rugs mainly for the American market. The best known was the Nichols Super Chinese Rug Company, founded by an American, which worked from 1924 until the Second World War.

These rugs, often called Art Deco Chinese rugs, have open fields, asymmetrical sprays of flowers and strong colors such as cranberry, gold and green. Many are about 9 by 12 feet. Rugs from the Fette-Li workshop in Tianjin used softer, lighter colors.

Carved pile and modern Chinese rugs

Many Chinese rugs have a carved or sculpted pile. The weaver cuts along the outline of each motif so the design stands out in relief.

China also makes a great many modern rugs, from hand-knotted wool and silk to hand-tufted and machine-made rugs. Check the back of the rug to see how it was made before you compare prices.

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