9' x 12'6" Sino Semi-Antique Oriental Rug | Ivory Tree of Life with Medallion | Made in China
Two trees grow toward each other from opposite ends of this 9' x 12'6" Sino rug, and their branches fill the whole ivory field with blossoms until they meet at a rust and navy medallion in the center. It is a semi-antique Oriental rug in a Persian-style design, hand-knotted in China about 50 years ago, at a time when Chinese workshops still put real care into handmade work. The pile is wool on a cotton foundation, with small touches of silk in some of the flowers, at 240 to 260 knots per square inch. It has been used and professionally washed. One stain remained after washing, and the rug is highly discounted for that reason alone. It comes with our certificate of authenticity.
Please Note About the Photographs:
This rug has one stain, shown in the second photo, that could not be removed by professional washing. The rug is highly discounted because of this stain. Apart from it, the rug has been cleaned and is ready to use. If you would like more photos of the stained area, contact us and we will send them.
Design and Motifs
At each end of the field, a tall mauve tree trunk rises from just inside the border. Its branches split again and again into hundreds of thin stems, and every stem carries something: rosettes, pomegranates, lotus forms, serrated leaves and tiny mint green leaflets. Mirrored left to right, the 2 trees fill the field so completely that it reads as one enormous garden. Small leafy pendants mark where each tree meets the center. The medallion itself is scalloped like a large flower, with a rust outer ring scattered with blossoms, a navy inner ring of curling vines and pink flowers, and a 16 point star at the heart in slate blue, taupe and ivory around a small rust core. Each corner holds a slate blue spandrel with a stepped, lobed edge, filled with gold, pink and olive rosettes. The main border has a rust brown ground, with navy and slate blue palmettes flanked by blue boteh and wide sprays of blush blossoms. Ivory and gold guard stripes run on both sides, and a navy band finishes the outer edge.
The Colors: Ivory, Rust and Slate Blue
The ivory field is warm and creamy, the light ground that gives the rug its airy feel even at 9' x 12'6". Rust brown is the main dark tone, a warm, slightly red brown that fills the main border and the medallion's outer ring. Navy, deep and close to midnight, sits inside the medallion and along the outer edge, giving the design firm definition. Slate blue, a soft grey blue, fills the 4 spandrels and the star at the center, cooling the warm browns. Across the field, the blossoms are worked in a wide, gentle palette: blush and dusty pink, gold and mustard, olive and moss green, navy and powder blue, with mint green leaves throughout. The tree trunks and branches are a soft mauve taupe. The silk highlights in some of the flowers catch the light, while the fringe is natural ivory cotton.
Sino Rugs: Chinese Handwork in the Persian Style
In the trade, "Sino" refers to rugs hand-knotted in China. In the decades around 1970, Chinese workshops wove many classic Persian-style designs for export, and pieces from that era are known for careful drawing, good wool and a soft, refined palette. This rug is a strong example. At 240 to 260 knots per square inch, it has enough knots to draw the thin branches and small blossoms of the tree of life cleanly, with the 2 trees mirroring each other exactly. At about 50 years old, it has the settled, mellow look of a rug that has lived in a home. Among 9x12 area rugs, a semi-antique hand-knotted Sino with a design this detailed, at a price cut sharply because of a single stain, is a practical way to furnish a dining room or a full living room seating area.
