Vintage Samarkand Khotan Red, Purple, Grey Handmade Wool Rug BB5876 7'0" × 14'0" $16,000

This circa-1930 vintage Khotan Samarkand rug features an all-over design of pomegranate imagery and geometric and floral abstractions in shades of muted pink and purple against a field of abrashed gray. A multicolored border consisting of square patterns containing abstract designs completes the look of the vintage carpet. Pomegranate design motifs, known as “liuka baiza,” are popular in East Turkestan Samarkand antique rug weaving and signify prosperity and fertility.

The vintage Oriental carpets from Kashgar, Yarkand and Khotan in the Chinese occupied Autonomous Region of Sikiang are collectively known as Samarkands – lands of arid steppes, deserts and mountain ranges traversed for thousands of years by caravans of merchants and traders from China to Western Europe along the Silk Route. Vintage oriental rugs from this region are typically rendered in a glossy wool, occasionally embellished with richly brocaded silk and metal-thread.