dragon rug

dragon rug, any of the most numerous group of the Kuba carpets and a great favourite among rug fanciers because of striking design and colouring. The basic pattern—great, irregular, jagged bands that form an ogee lattice—is closely related to that of the vase carpets of Kermān, upon which they were probably based.

Early examples are narrow for their length, with a single-stripe border, as in the vase carpets. In the lattice, fantastic palmettes and other blossoms mask intersections; and in the spaces between the bands appear such figures as deformed Chinese dragons, flaming lions, and, in some cases, fawns, onagers (wild asses), ibex, and cranes. Upon the bands themselves may be distorted figures of pheasants and ducks, together with the cloud knot. The earliest rugs are drop repeats, but soon diagonal repeats and design offsets also appear. At first, the layouts were directional, but many later rugs have forms oriented toward both ends. In later examples, all beasts but the dragon have disappeared or survive merely as indistinguishable bits of colour. All but the newest dragon rugs are entirely of wool.