An antique Chinese dragon rug

A Chinese wool rug 7’ x 4d’ handmade rug with dragon design and framed by gold fishes. (Probably Ningxia)  Dating to the turn of the twentieth century , this rug features a stately pair of imperial dragons. The Chinese dragon is an ancient and important symbol in China, representing cunning and power. Traditionally, the dragon is associated with the Chinese emperor – especially the five-clawed dragon. In this remarkable Oriental rug, a pair of dragons, one blue and one ivory, are set against a background of blue and ivory in a fascinating scene: the ivory dragon is woven into a thick swirl of blue clouds, while the blue dragon circles around a rocky spire, set against a repeating pattern of ivories. This contrast gives the entire carpet an overall impression of great unity and balance – ideas very important to traditional Chinese design. The borders complement the composition of the antique rug beautifully: an inner border of ivory decorated with bluebirds and an outer border of ivory