Chinese and Islamic carpets in Hong Kong Palace Museum exhibition reveal interwoven past

Interactions between China and the Islamic world began more than 1,400 years ago during the Tang dynasty (618-907), facilitated by maritime trade routes that linked the Persian Gulf to Chinese ports such as Quanzhou and Guangzhou. Evidence of these ancient cultural exchanges survives in artefacts that blend different artistic traditions. Some of these items, including imperial carpets, ceramics, metalwork, manuscripts and jade carvings, are on show in a new exhibition at the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), in the West Kowloon Cultural District. “Wonders of Imperial Carpets” is the result of a collaboration between HKPM and the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Doha, Qatar. The exhibition features around 100 items from MIA alongside objects from the HKPM and the Palace Museum Beijing. Exhibition highlights include luxurious carpets commissioned by Islamic rulers. These carpets were made by master craftsmen using exquisite materials sourced globally, and feature beautiful arabesque designs. The exhibition focuses on artefacts from three early modern Islamic empires – the Safavid Empire in Iran (1501-1736), the Mughal Empire in India (1526-1857) and the Ottoman Empire in Turkey (1299-1923). The three empires, collectively known as “the gunpowder empires” because of their military might, ruled most of the Islamic world. Despite often waging wars against each other, they maintained diplomatic and cultural ties between themselves and with China. The first of the exhibition’s four sections focuses on the cultural exchange between the Islamic world and China. The stand-out here is the Ardabil-Sarre animal carpet from 16th-century Safavid Iran, woven with wool, silk and metal threads. Chinese-inspired motifs, including a green beast, are intertwined with the arabesque foliages. Another highlight is an exhibit that matches items from China and the Islamic world based on their shapes, indicating the exchange of ideas and inspirations between artisans. For instance, parallels are seen between objects like a Ming-dynasty Jingdezhen porcelain jug (1426–1435) and a 15th-century Central Asian brass jug. The second section of the exhibition focuses on Safavid artistry, which is shown in the Rothschild medallion carpet from the mid-16th century. “You can split the carpet geometrically into four identical pieces, then for each piece, you can split it again,” says Mounia Chekhab-Abudaya, deputy director of curatorial affairs at the MIA. “It’s the idea of mirrored composition. You can look at it from different angles and it looks perfectly symmetrical.” Another Safavid Iranian carpet, dated between 1700 and 1722, features pink, red and blue floral motifs woven with silk thread wrapped in metal. This is shown next to a carpet made in Xinjiang, China, during the Qianlong period (1736-1795) of the Qing dynasty. The Xinjiang carpet was crafted from gold and silver threads and features similar motifs to the carpet beside it from Safavid Iran – another sign of cultural exchange between civilisations. The exhibition’s third section highlights artefacts from Mughal India, including the Kevorkian Hyderabad carpet that is 16 metres (50ft) long. Two mirrors on the walls at either end of the gallery create the illusion that it stretches infinitely. As well as the carpet’s remarkable length, another detail demands attention. At the centre of the red carpet lies an abstract depiction of a fish pond – an auspicious motif deeply rooted in Chinese culture, symbolising abundance and prosperity. The final section of the exhibition focuses on the Ottoman Empire, one of the largest in human history. The Ottoman imperial workshops were known for exquisite textile art. The Cintamani prayer rug and others on show are fine examples of this. Islamic pottery also reached new heights during the Ottoman Empire, exemplified by Iznik pottery. Named after the town of Iznik, the pottery adopted Chinese elements, such as blue-and-white motifs, spiral designs and more. Visitors can see parallels between Chinese porcelain and Iznik ceramics made in the 16th century. Chekhab-Abudaya says there has long been a fascination with Chinese porcelain in the Islamic world. “If we go back to the eighth, ninth century in particular, there has always been an interest in Chinese porcelain in the Islamic world. So you have Islamic pottery artisans that have been trying to mimic it all the way to the 19th century, never quite achieving it ... especially in terms of weight,” she says. Iznik pottery represented a big breakthrough. “Iznik ceramics started using … a type of fritware that is much lighter. That was the revolution for Islamic ceramics because it continues to be used for centuries onwards.” “Wonders of the Imperial Carpets: Masterpieces from the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha”, Hong Kong Palace Museum. 10am-6pm Monday to Thursday (closed Tuesdays). Until 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Chinese and Islamic carpets in Hong Kong Palace Museum exhibition reveal interwoven past

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Centuries-old cultural ties between China and places such as Iran, India and Turkey are highlighted at a Hong Kong Palace Museum exhibition

Centuries-old cultural ties between China and places such as Iran, India and Turkey are highlighted at a Hong Kong Palace Museum exhibition