Quick Answer: What Is Tibetan Carpet Weaving?
Tibetan carpet weaving includes a pile technique in which yarn is looped around a rod and then cut to form a raised surface. A khaden (卡垫, kǎdiàn), written kha gdan in Tibetan transliteration, is a rug used for sitting or sleeping. Gyantse is a documented center of the craft.[1][2][3][4][6]
- Pile: The cut ends of loops form tufts above the woven foundation.[2][3][4]
- Material: Wool can form the pile, while cotton can serve as the lengthwise foundation.[1][4]
- Uses: Household seating rugs and shaped saddle carpets serve different purposes.[1][4][6]
China’s 2006 heritage record groups Tibetan apron and carpet weaving under one project name.[1]
A rug on a loom has two surfaces in view. There are taut vertical threads above the newest row, and there is a layer of soft color below it. The cut ends give the pile its texture. The threads underneath give the textile its structure.[2][3][4]
How Cut Loops Make a Wool Pile
A row begins with yarn looped over a rod while it is attached to the warp, the threads running lengthwise on the loom. The rod sets the length of the loops in that row. When the loops are cut along the rod, their open ends become tufts. Across several rows, the tufts accumulate into a pile that can carry bands, borders and larger shapes.[2][3][4]
Look at a raised surface and then at the textile’s reverse if it is visible. The pile is the layer you see from the front. The warp and the crosswise weft form the support beneath it. One Gyantse saddle carpet in the Newark Museum of Art has wool pile and weft over a cotton warp. A label that lists more than one fiber may be describing different jobs within the same object. This is also a useful question when comparing Ningxia carpets with Tibetan examples.[4]
The Rubin Museum account also distinguishes planted-pile carpets made on other kinds of looms. The rod method describes a documented family of knotted-pile rugs within a wider Tibetan weaving tradition.[4]
Rugs for Sitting, Sleeping and Riding
The Gyantse heritage record describes rectangular sitting rugs, and the China Tibetology Research Center’s account describes their use for sitting and sleeping. The shape provides a clue to where the textile was used. On a household platform, a rectangular rug can make a defined space for one or more people. A saddle carpet is shaped around a different purpose.[1][4][6]
The Newark Museum of Art’s saddle carpet measures about 64 by 123 centimeters. Research published by the Rubin Museum associates it with a set made in Gyantse in the 1930s for the Yabzhi Punkhang family’s ceremonial riders. Its shape and size reflect its use on a horse, while the research connects the pattern with a particular set of ceremonial textiles. The saddle context is one example of how textile objects can express a role within Tibetan culture.[4]
The saddle carpet was woven in two parts and sewn together. Leather-edged openings allowed straps to pass through. Blue, red and white patterning, a foliate border and paired medallions occupy the surface around those openings. The straps, seams and motifs each answer a different question about the object.[4]
Gyantse Weavers and the Heritage Record
The national inventory lists Tibetan pangden (邦典, bāngdiǎn) apron weaving and khaden carpet weaving together. The project description identifies Gyantse with the carpets and a Shannan community with woolen aprons. The shared entry reflects related textile skills and covers two different kinds of object.[1][6]
Bianduo, a representative Gyantse practitioner in the national record, learned to weave as a teenager. He brought his workshop into the local carpet factory and designed patterns there using Tibetan carpet motifs as a starting point. Another documented workshop program combined weaving instruction with design development. The two cases document weaving and pattern design as parts of the same craft within Chinese intangible cultural heritage.[2][5]
FAQs About Tibetan Carpet Weaving
How is the raised pile made?
The weaver loops yarn around a rod as it is secured to the warp. Cutting those loops releases ends that stand up as tufts. The tufts form the raised pile.[2][3][4]
What is a khaden used for?
A khaden can serve as a sitting rug or a sleeping surface. Gyantse examples are commonly described as rectangular, while other Tibetan carpet forms can serve different uses.[1][4][6]
Are all Tibetan carpet threads made of wool?
Wool is widely used for the raised pile. The museum’s Gyantse saddle carpet also has wool weft and cotton warp. A fiber description can refer to a specific part of a rug.[4]
資料來源
[1] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Tibetan Pangden and Khaden Weaving
[2] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. A Tibetan Carpet Weaving Workshop
[3] Project FUEL. Tibetan Knotting Technique of Carpet Weaving
[4] Rubin Museum Project Himalayan Art. Saddle Carpet for the Yabzhi Punkhang Ceremonial Cavalry
[5] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Bianduo
[6] China Tibetology Research Center. Tibetan Apron and Carpet Weaving