Chinese Rugs: A Buyer''s Guide

Today, a combination of high quality and low price makes Chinese rugs the best value of all oriental carpets. And countries outside China itself, such as Tibet and Nepal, have broadened the market even further by producing Chinese-style rugs of the same high standard. This is a comprehensive guide full of advice on how to find the right rug at the right price. This companion volume to Lee Allane's "Oriental Rugs: A Buyer's Guide" (Thames and Hudson, 1988) explains how these rugs are made, and how techniques, materials and tools affect character and quality, whether from the commercialized workshops of Peking and Kathmandu, or from the nomads of East Turkestan. An up-to-date table of price comparisons gives a clear indication of what to pay for each range and grade of rug. The author explores the worldview that underpins the rugs' sophisticated symbolism and colour schemes, providing a permanent source of reference to the various weaving groups both inside and outside China. Lee Allane has collected oriental rugs for a number of years and is a consultant for several international auction houses and carpet companies.