Framed carpet fragment of a front facing five clawed dragon, most likely made in the Baotou-Suiyuan region of China circa 1900, that has (much more recently) been mounted and enclosed in a black wooden frame. The blue dyes appear to be natural, and the main field ‘peach-like’ colour seen on the front has faded from a darker red (as can be seen on the photos from the back) which may have come from logwood, a natural dye well known to fade because of its light sensitive properties. The design, with the ‘stripes’ emanating outwards from the central dragon give a starburst-like effect that is not only attractive but rather unique. The pile is worn but there are no repairs in the fragment itself, which has cotton warp and weft. The size framed is 107cm x 67cm (approximately 42in x 22.5in).