To welcome in the auspicious Year of the Tiger, ALTFIELD GALLERY will be putting on display a number of striking TIGER RUGS from Tibet.....

For the Chinese people, the Tiger is a powerful symbol of courage, able to ward off evil and protect wealth. One of the strongest and most auspicious of symbols it's protective energy is harnessed by capturing its image on textiles and carpets, to ward off harm and assure safekeeping.

These scarce rugs from Tibet were owned by the Tibetan elite, who used them to sit on, and also to cover their luggage on long journeys. They demonstrate a wide range of diversity, creativity and modernity in their design. Among the carpets on display are those showing the influence of Chinese mythology with full representations of the Tiger, as well as those that have been abstracted to stylized stripes with a central spine.