Physical description
Wall carpet, knotted pile of coloured silks and flat metallic thread worked in the weft-wrapping weave known as pinjin in Chinese or soumak in the West. There is a yellow macramé fringe at each end.
The pictorial design is one commensurate with the movement known as the Great Leap Forward. The corners show, from top left clockwise, a bucket of molten steel, a wheatsheaf, cotton bolls and a truck of coal. The the top centre, against a red sky, is the emblem of the Peoples' Republic of China surrounded by doves. Below this, dancing on a green sward and encircled by a garland of flowers, grapes and peaches, are representatives of the national minority peoples of China. A soldier from the Peoples' Liberation Army plays the accordion.
Place of Origin
China (made)
Date
1958 (made)
Artist/maker
Beijing Carpet Factory Number One (manufacturer)
Materials and Techniques
Knotted silk pile and soumak weaving in metallic threads
Dimensions
Width: 1215 mm Top edge, Width: 1230 mm Bottom edge, Length: 2330 mm Proper right edge, Length: 2350 mm Proper left edge
Object history note
Purchased. Registered File number 1990/1340.
Descriptive line
'Whole Nation All Ethnic Groups United' wall carpet, knotted silk pile and metallic threads depicting a theme from the Great Leap Forward, made by Beijing Carpet Factory Number One, China, 1958.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Wilson, Verity, Chinese Textiles, London: V&A Publications, 2005, page 72, fig. 80
Spence, Jonathan, The Search for Modern China, New York: Norton, 1990 pp.574-83
Materials
Silk (textile); Metal thread
Techniques
Knotted pile
Subjects depicted
People; Cotton; Steel; Wheat
Categories
Textiles; Household objects; Floor coverings
Collection
East Asia Collection