A SMALL NINGXIA 'CRANE AND DEER' RUG, QING China, 19th century. Finely woven wool carpet with a crane on a rocky outpost next to a deer, surrounded by lotus flowers and leaves. Provenance: Old Austrian private collection. Condition: Good condition with some soiling and wear. Dimensions: Size 123 x 68 cm NINGXIA In the diary of a Jesuit priest, Father Gerbillon, it is recorded that the Kangxi Emperor visited Ningxia in 1697 and was presented with several locally made carpets which he took back with him to the Empress. With Imperial interest in the Ningxia carpets and their designs being closely related to court styles of the Ming period, their appeal increased throughout the 18th and 19th century. Ancestor portraits are significant in contributing dates to styles of carpets. In these portraits, the carpets are often visible at the edges of the thrones. The Chinese production of wool carpets and rugs spanned over several centuries and they do not appear to have been exported to Europe in the first quarter of the eighteenth century which was the height of the Chinoiserie fashion. It was only at the beginning of the twentieth century that the West became aware of Chinese carpets, largely through the dealers at the time which included Larkin & Kemp in London, and Yamanaka, Tiffany, Dilley and others in New York. Their interest to the present market is their understated elegance and balanced composition with their reduced and subtle range of colors. 寧夏鹿鶴紋小毯，清代 中國，十九世紀。精細編織的羊毛地毯，在鹿旁邊的岩石前站立著一隻仙鶴，周圍環繞著蓮花。 來源：奧地利私人老收藏 品相：品相良好，一些污漬和磨損 尺寸：123 x 68 厘米