Classification of Chinese rugs

The classifications of Chinese rugs adopted by different students must necessarily vary.

As there are no existing records of the evolution of the Chinese weaver's art, its traditional history can play no part in the formation of opinions. There­fore the classification of rugs must depend upon the recognition of certain technical peculiarities in them.

These peculiarities reveal methods that either antedate or follow other methods of which we have a know­ledge which makes it possible to place objects relatively with a great amount of accuracy.

The technical peculiarities that support trained opinion have been explained in the following chapters. They have to do with materials used by weavers, with the colors of these materials, and with the various methods of weaving them.