Large carpet dated to the Ming dynasty – $260,000 (£208,000) at Skinner.
Dixon, who died in 2020, was a garden designer who assembled a large collection of woven textiles.
An early highlight was a large carpet dated to the Ming dynasty which sold for a mid-estimate $260,000 (£208,000). Measuring 11ft 4in x 11 ft 11in (3.45 x 3.6m) and woven in wool on a foundation of cotton wefts and silk warps, it featured a dragon coiled around a flaming pearl set against a cloud field.
It belongs to a group of rugs that are thought to have been woven for the Imperial Palace in Beijing during the Ming Dynasty, Though it is difficult to offer a precise date for the carpet, said Skinner, stylistic likenesses to textiles in the tomb of the emperor Wanli (1573-1620) suggest a date of the late 16th or early 17th century.
The carpet is probably only missing its borders and is in good condition for its age with some restoration throughout the field.
£1 = $1.25
