Old Hereke made of pure silk | 128cm x 73cm | No. 18195

Alter Hereke made of pure silk, beige with garden of paradise pattern, border and Medaillon

Place of origin

Very valuable silk rugs originate from the Turkish city of Hereke. The tradition was promoted by the art-loving Sultan Abd-ul-Medjid (reigned 1839 - 1861). In 1844, he had the court knotting workshops moved from Cairo back to Hereke. Hand-knotted Hereke silk rugs are among the finest rugs in the world and are knotted with a density of up to 6 million knots per square meter. Thanks to the knotting technique, the pattern is just as clearly visible on the back as on the front. Antique Turkish rugs fetch top prices in renowned art auction houses.

Typical motifs of the Hereke rugs include flowers, twigs and leaves, as well as birds, the tree of life and the so-called Mehrab or Mihrab pattern, a prayer niche depicted together with oil lamps. Besides traditional motifs and typical Ottoman or Turkish patterns, Hereke silk rugs are today knotted with more modern patterns to suit contemporary tastes. The characteristic colors of Hereke silk rugs are deep dark blue, bright red, vivid green, bright yellow and various natural tones in all nuances. This old Hereke is more than 40 years old and a true collector's item.

Patterns

This Hereke is adorned with a dreamlike paradise garden motif. The paradise garden motif is typical of the safawidian era. Paradise Garden rugs are embellished with a stylized, geometric representation of a traditional Persian garden with delicate plants and trees. The Greek word "paradeisos" comes from the Middle Persian word "pardēs". Originally the term referred to Persian royal gardens and only in the biblical context did it acquire the connotation of the garden of God. These fertile and artistic royal gardens housed various exotic plants and animals. They were surrounded by a wall, symbolic of the separation between heaven and earth. Traditional Persian Gardens of Paradise were rectangular, with a river or other body of water running from north to south and from east to west, forming a cross dividing the garden into four sections. The representation of water, which is extremely precious in arid regions, also plays a prominent role in rugs depicting paradise gardens.

The background of this Hereke is light blue. The colors beige and light blue dominate the overall impression. The border is held in similar colors as the rest of the rug. The dark red center combines the colors dark blue and beige.

Condition

This Hereke has had admirers before you. It was hand knotted about 1960. We have cleaned it thoroughly and restored it lovingly. Therefore it is in very good condition despite its age.

Material

The silk of the pile of this Hereke allows the colors forming the pattern to shine in different nuances depending on the lighting. It makes this Hereke a real jewel and creates a cozy and at the same time very elegant and premium atmosphere in the room. Silk is manually extracted from the cocoons of the silk moth. Since individual silk threads are extremely long, the result is very thin yarns, which are nevertheless tear-resistant under low stress. Smaller rug knots can be made with this thin yarn, which create finer patterns. Therefore, the finest rugs in the world are hand-knotted made of pure silk. In this Hereke even the background is made of pure silk. Due to the thin but durable material of the weft and warp threads, a particularly fine knotting and, therefore, a particularly fine pattern is feasible.