Detail: An exhibition featuring in particular works from the beginning of the Qianlong reign until that of the last emperor, Xuantong. Carpets produced at the imperial studios bore traditional motifs such as dragons, phoenixes and flowers. In more highly prized pieces, gold, silver and copper - metals to which therapeutic properties were attributed - were inserted into the silk warp and weft, as in a carpet with a ‘white lotus’ motif. Designs often reflected a diagram of the cosmological scheme of the five elements, as represented by animal or botanical images.