Hand-Knotted Tibetan Khaden Rug | Sage Cloud Medallion

A particularly refined and elegant piece, with a quiet architectural balance and a beautifully restrained palette. This antique Tibetan rug presents a composed and vertically oriented design, where a sequence of stylised cloud and floral motifs unfolds across a softly luminous field. The composition is anchored by a central axis, along which symbolic elements—reminiscent of floating clouds, mountain forms, or auspicious emblems—are rhythmically arranged, creating a sense of upward movement and meditative continuity.

The field, rendered in a muted, earthy tone suggestive of aged parchment or soft sage, provides a gentle ground upon which the motifs—executed in warm cinnabar, coral, and deep blue—appear to hover with quiet clarity. These forms carry echoes of both Tibetan symbolic language and Chinese decorative influence, particularly in the stylisation of cloud scrolls and abstracted floral devices.

Framing the composition is a bold and highly graphic border, composed of repeating angular motifs that recall archaic fretwork or protective patterns. This border acts as a strong visual containment, contrasting the softness of the field with a more assertive, almost architectural rhythm—an interplay that enhances the overall balance of the piece.

Woven in resilient, lanolin-rich Himalayan wool, the rug would have possessed a supple handle and a softly lustrous surface, lending depth and vitality to its restrained yet sophisticated palette.

Referenced from "Dream Weavers - Textile Art of the Tibetan Plateau, Pages 150 & 151, Plate 51."

Age: Late 19th to early 20th century
Condition: Structurally sound with no repairs and well preserved overall with nicely age developed patina
Warp: 2 ply cotton
Weft: 1 shed gray brown wool
Knots: 7+8 ply yarn, wool
6h x 4v: 24 kpsi
Colours (10): Green / light green / red / lavender / lemon yellow / light walnut brown / light purple / dark blue / light blue / ivory
Dimensions: 70 cm x 151 cm (27.6 in x 59.4 in)