IMPORTANT IMPERIAL CARPET Rectangular silk... Lot 173

IMPORTANT IMPERIAL CARPET Rectangular silk carpet with polychrome decoration enhanced by gilt copper threads on a cream background, depicting, on the field, nine dragons chasing the sacred pearl, surrounded by a wide border of Buddhist emblems in reserves on a background of stylized flowers organized in geometric paving, small fringes underlining the small sides, one of which bears the inscription : "Bao He Dian Yu Yong, "Made for His Majesty of the Palace of the Preservation of Harmony" (Jehol mention). (Minor wear and stains). China, Qing dynasty, Jiaqing period (1796-1820), late 18th-early 19th centuries. 270 X 180 CM (106 5/16 X 70 7/8 IN.) PROVENANCE Descendants of Admiral Ortoli (1900-1979), Paris. NOTE Companion of the Liberation, State Councillor, Admiral Ortoli (1900-1979) regularly sailed in the South China Sea and in the Pacific Ocean, before, during and after the Second World War. In 1933, he was commander of the hydrographic ship Octant, which took part in the mapping of the coastline from Saigon to Hong Kong via Haiphong. It was during a visit to Shanghai or Hong Kong that this Asian art enthusiast bought an imperial carpet with nine dragons. The carpet crossed the oceans when, at the end of 1934, Paul Ortoli left Saigon to join Toulon. Before taking command, a few months later, of the destroyer La Flore, he took care to leave his collection brought back from Asia, in the family mansion in the rue Banasterie, in Avignon. He went to London in May 1940 and joined the Free French in August of the same year. He then took part in the Battle of the Atlantic as commander of the submarine Surcouf, then became General de Gaulle's private chief of staff in 1941, before being sent to the Pacific with the cruiser Triomphant. In 1946, just after the Second World War, Admiral Ortoli became commander of the French maritime forces in the Far East, then, in 1954, commander-in-chief of the strategic zone of the Indian Ocean. Between his missions, he regularly returned to Paris. The objects he collected during his travels decorated his apartment, first in the rue de Courcelles, in the 17th arrondissement, then in the rue de Seine, in the 6th arrondissement. The carpet in the living room was particularly admired by Lord Louis Mountbatten, Viceroy of India, at a dinner party on rue de Seine. The Palace of Preserved Harmony (Baohedian) is the third and last pavilion located on the central axis of the outer courtyard of the Forbidden City. Built in 1420, the Ming emperors used it to change clothes during ritual ceremonies. The emperors of the Qing Dynasty used it as an imperial banquet hall and from the Qianlong reign onwards it was used for examinations. Our carpet closely echoes the monumental carved marble slab in front of the palace, decorated with nine dragons chasing sacred beads. Attention: A deposit is required for this lot A deposit is required for this lot 参加此拍品需要缴纳押金