Old Hereke in pure silk | 128 x 73 cm | Nr. 18195

Old Hereke in pure silk, beige with paradise garden pattern, border and medallion

Origin	Turkey
Dimensions	128 cm x 73 cm (= 0.93 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk Weft & Warp: pure silk
knots per m²2	640.000
Pile height	4mm
Year of manufacture	1960
Colour	Beige, Light blue
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

Very valuable silk rugs come from the Turkish town of Hereke. The tradition was fostered by the art-loving Sultan Abd-ul-Medjid (reigned 1839 - 1861). In 1844 he had the court workshops moved back from Cairo to Hereke. Hand-knotted Hereke silk rugs are among the finest rugs in the world and are knotted at densities of up to 6 million knots per m². Thanks to the knotting technique, incidentally, the pattern is just as clearly visible on the back as it is on the front. At renowned art auction houses, antique Turkish rugs fetch top prices.

Typical motifs on Hereke rugs are flowers, branches and leaves as well as birds, the tree of life and the so-called Mehrab or Mihrab pattern, a prayer niche shown together with oil lamps. Alongside traditional motifs and typically Ottoman or Turkish patterns, Hereke silk rugs are today also knotted with more modern designs adapted to contemporary taste. Typical colours for Hereke silk rugs are a deep dark blue, a radiant red, a lively green, a luminous yellow and various natural tones in every nuance. This old Hereke is around 60 years old and a true collector's piece. The hunting motif, much sought after among rug lovers, graces this strikingly beautiful Hereke silk rug.

Pattern

The paradise garden design is a stylised depiction of a traditional Persian garden. The Greek word "paradeisos" goes back to the Middle Persian word "pardēs". Originally the word referred to the Persian royal gardens, and only in the biblical context did it take on the connotation of the garden of God. The fertile, artfully laid-out royal gardens were home to a wide variety of exotic plants and animals. They are enclosed by a wall, symbolic of the separation between heaven and earth. Paradise gardens are places of veneration and symbols of status. Traditional Persian gardens were rectangular, with a river or body of water running from north to south and from east to west, forming a cross that divides the garden into four sections. Roofed pavilions or structures and raised walkways for viewing the garden from above were just as common as fountains and waterfalls symbolising eternal life. In rugs with a paradise garden motif – like this one – the depiction of water, so precious in arid regions, plays a prominent role.

The background of this Hereke is light blue. The overall impression is also dominated by beige and light blue. The border is worked in beige, light blue and dark red. In the dark red centre, dark blue and beige are combined.

Condition

You are not the first to take a liking to this Hereke. It had owners before you who valued and used it. It was hand-knotted around 1960. We have cleaned it thoroughly and restored it with care. Despite its age, it is therefore in very good condition.

Material

The silk of this Hereke's pile makes the colours of the pattern shine in ever-changing shades, depending on how the light falls. It turns this Hereke into a real jewel and creates an atmosphere in the room that is cosy and at the same time very elegant and refined. Silk is obtained by hand from the cocoons of the silk moth. Because the individual silk filaments are extremely long, very fine yarns can be spun that are light in weight yet still tear-resistant. Fine yarn allows smaller knots to be tied and therefore finer patterns to be created. This is why the finest rugs in the world are hand-knotted from pure silk. In this Hereke, even the foundation is made of pure silk. The thin but hard-wearing material of the weft and warp threads permits a particularly fine knotting, and with it a particularly fine pattern.