Lot 335. A large 'five-dragon' silk carpet for the Hall of Protecting Harmony, circa 1900. Estimate £8,000 - 12,000 (€9,500 - 14,000). Photo: Bonhams.

The rectangular field woven in multi-coloured silk with five dragons contesting flaming pearls, enclosed on all sides by a band of ruyi clouds above a lishui border, woven at one end with the three-character inscription 'Baohe Dian' (Hall of Protecting Harmony).
237cm (93 2/8in) long x 154cm (60 5/8in) wide

Provenance: Christie's London, 6 July 1989, lot 87
A European private collection

Note: Carpets in China created auspicious spaces aimed at bringing to the viewer the benign effects of the subjects depicted within them. Carpets decorated with dragons were usually placed in Halls where the emperors performed important rites dedicated to Heaven and Earth, as well as official duties. 

Completed in the 15th century, Baohe Dian is located southeast of the Forbidden City. During the Ming period, the emperor wore his ceremonial outfit in this hall before attending a grand ritual, while in Qing times, the hall also served as a temporary residence for the Shunzhi and Kangxi emperors but also as the venue where the highest of the three levels of Imperial examinations took place, and audience and banquet hall where high-profile political figures were entertained. See Wu Hung, Remaking Beijing: Tiananmen Square and the creation of a political space, Chicago, 2005.

Compare with a similar silk carpet, decorated with five dragons, circa 1900, which sold at Christie's New York, 17 March 2017, lot 631.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 11 May 2017, 11:00 BST, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET