Chinese Hereke in pure silk | 123 x 77 cm | Nr. Z-2811

Floral Chinese Hereke in pure silk, dusky pink with border and medallion

Origin	China
Dimensions	123 cm x 77 cm (= 0.9471 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk Weft & Warp: pure silk
knots per m²2	1.000.000
Pile height	3mm
Year of manufacture	1985
Colour	Dusky pink, cream white
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

The pattern of this rug is inspired by that of classic Hereke rugs. This piece, however, was knotted in China. The Turkish town of Hereke is home to very precious silk rugs. The tradition was encouraged 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 with a density 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 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 suited to contemporary taste. Typical colours for Hereke silk rugs are a deep dark blue, a radiant red, a lively green, a luminous yellow and a range of natural tones in every shade.

Pattern

The edge of the rug is framed by a decorative border. The border forms a beautiful contrast with the centre.

The lavish floral motifs of this Hereke are elegant and full of variety. The graceful plant symbols, depicting blossoms, leaves and branches, are artfully intertwined.

At the heart of this Hereke's central field lies the symmetrical centre, also known as the medallion. The design of the field is subordinate to the medallion, so that the medallion appears to float on the field.

The background of this Hereke is cream white. Dusky pink and cream white also dominate the overall impression. The border is worked in dusky pink and cream white. The dusky pink centre combines cream white and turquoise.

Condition

You are not the first to take a liking to this Hereke. It had owners before you who valued it and used it. It was hand-knotted around 1985. It has been cleaned thoroughly and is in good, though unrestored, condition. The edges are damaged in places. The fringes could do with a repair. The pile is worn in places. We have not restored this Hereke because we feel it has a special presence just as it is. If you would like us to, we will of course gladly restore the rug for you. Either way, this Hereke will give you pleasure for decades to come.

Material

The silk of this Hereke's pile makes the colours of the pattern glow in ever-changing nuances, depending on how the light falls. It turns this Hereke into a real highlight and creates an atmosphere in the room that is cosy and at the same time highly elegant and refined. Silk is obtained by hand from the cocoons of the silkworm. 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 more intricate patterns to be created. That 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. Thanks to the thin but hard-wearing material of the weft and warp threads, a particularly fine knotting and therefore a particularly fine pattern are possible.