Glanz der Himmelssoehne: Kaiserliche Teppiche aus China 1400-1750

By Michael Franses and Hans Koenig

Chinese carpets from the ‘classical’ period, 1400 to 1750, possess a serenity and balance that are quite unsurpassed. These attributes did not come about purely by chance, but rather through centuries of tradition and refinement. In order to create these beautiful objects, the Chinese master weavers used highly elaborate methods of weaving incorporating a huge repertoire of knotting techniques, far more than in any other carpet-making region. The range of colours and the use of varying shades of each colour were the result of more than two thousand years of usage and development of natural dyestuffs. Probably fewer than six hundred Chinese carpets survive today from the classical period. Due to their scarcity, little is known about them. This ground-breaking publication presents new research on the symbolism, making and usage of these carpets.

228 pages
Hardbound
170 colour plates and over 75 other colour illustrations
German text, with an essay on structure analysis in English