Sleeping Rug with Scrolling Lotus Design

Artist

Tibetan (Tibetan)

Date

20th century

Medium

Wool

Dimensions

: 36 x 65 in. (91.44 cm x 1.7 m)

Credit Line

Gift of David Kamansky and Gerald Wheaton

Object Number

2014.23.471

Label

Knotted pile rugs have been made and used in Tibet for centuries. These rugs provided insulated surfaces for working, relaxing, praying and sleeping in a cold, high-altitude environment. This type of rug, called a khaden, would have been stacked with other rugs on a low platform and used as a couch or bed. The lotus design on this rug derives from Chinese silk textiles of the Ming dynasty. Lotuses were regarded as symbols of purity and metaphors for the Buddha and are a common motif in Buddhist art across East Asia.