Auspicious Carpets: A Tibetan View of Aesthetics

Fig. 8: Checker Bird
Saddle set
Top: 23 x 85 cm.
Bottom: 66 x 79 cm. in middle, 105 cm. in extreme tips

Checkerboard designs are found in textiles from many cultures, but Tibetans produced an enormous number of them. They were thought to bring good luck and were often used at marriages. This saddle set with the "bird from far away" is unique among surviving pieces.