FAQs

Modern hand-knotted pieces start around a few hundred to a few thousand dollars; antique Caucasian or imperial Chinese examples range from tens of thousands to six or seven figures depending on rarity and condition.

Look for individual knots and pattern clarity on the back, irregularities in weave, and fringes that are warp extensions; machine-mades show uniform backing and glued edges.

The archetypal group originates in the 1500s–1600s, with later 18th–19th-century examples and 20th-century revivals; age, condition, and structure drive value.

Golden yellow, indigo blues, ivory, and soft browns are typical; Tibetan examples also use natural madder reds, indigo, rhubarb yellows, and walnut browns.

Tall, narrow Ningxia pieces designed to wrap columns or hang as banners in temples or palaces; common motifs include paired dragons above wave (lishui) stripes.

It pairs yang (dragon) and yin (phoenix), symbolizing harmony, prosperity, and often marriage blessings; expect balanced, celebratory motifs and cloud scrolls.

The “flaming pearl” represents wisdom, perfection, and prosperity; twin dragons chasing the pearl is a classic auspicious scene promising abundance.

Five claws indicate imperial symbolism in Chinese art; such dragons were historically associated with the emperor and palace contexts, especially on large yellow-ground carpets.

Early Transcaucasian pile or soumak weavings with highly stylized dragon forms in geometric medallions; originals date to the 16th–17th centuries, using symmetrical (Ghiordes) knots and wool piles.

A Chinese rug style, often yellow or beige fields with blue dragons and cloud scrolls, woven in North China from the Qing era onward; many feature imperial imagery like five-clawed dragons.

Chinese and Tibetan dragons are curvilinear and pictorial; Caucasian “dragon” rugs render dragons as stylized, geometric forms within lattices or lozenges, often 16th–18th century designs revived later.

It typically represents power, protection, prosperity, and good fortune; in Chinese tradition the dragon is benevolent, rain-bringing, and auspicious, often tied to imperial authority and success.