The green schedule is very limited and the employment of green even more uncommon than in Moslem countries, where its religious importance restricts its use. When green does occur in Chinese fabrics, it has usually an admixture of yellow which converts it to olive, or else is a frank attempt to reproduce the color of jade. The colorings of old Chinese rugs, in the order of their frequency, are about as follows:
1. Blue and white, with the pattern in two or even three shades of blue, on white background, or occasionally with a splash of some salmon shade to give warmth and accent.
2. Reds and pinks, with design in two blues, yellow, tan, and white.
3. Yellow and blue, yellow ground with design in two shades of blue, with admixture of white and secondary elements in soft shades of tan and brown.
4. Browns and fawns, with patterns in blues, white, red, or yellow.
5. Dark blues, with design in white, or far less frequently in gold tan, relieved by small bits of light blue and white, sometimes one note of rust red for luck. (This seems to be common in all parts of Asia.)
6. Light blues, with pattern in white and the softer shades of yellow, pink, and fawn or brown, and small display of dark blue.
7. Green grounds, usually olive, with pattern in dark and light blue, yellow, and some red.
There are some other eccentric colorings, but these are the chief. The blue and white pieces are scarce now for the reason that they contribute to the “cool effects,” the attainment of which has of late been one of the chief aims of the highest practitioners in the art of decoration. The reds and certain “mustardy” shades of yellow have perhaps been least liked and linger longest on the shelf. Blue or yellow has proved a more attractive color arrangement. The dark blue and light blue grounds have always been very rare, and a green rug is an episode.
