Hereke in pure silk with gold threads | 60 x 43 cm | Nr. 18284

Hereke in pure silk with gold thread, rust red with tree of life and signature

Origin	Turkey
Dimensions	60 cm x 43 cm (= 0.26 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk with gold threads Weft & Warp: pure silk
knots per m²2	1.000.000
Pile height	3mm
Year of manufacture	1990
Colour	Rust red, olive green
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 depicted together with oil lamps. Alongside traditional motifs and typically Ottoman or Turkish patterns, Hereke silk rugs are today also knotted with more modern designs attuned to contemporary taste. Typical colours for Hereke silk rugs are a deep dark blue, a radiant red, a lively green, a glowing yellow and various natural tones in every nuance. The pattern of this fine Hereke is accentuated by the use of gold threads. The gold threads create a shimmering, lustrous contrast and make the colours glow in warm nuances, depending on how the light falls. The fine gold threads are not only precious but also extremely difficult to work with, and they underline the craftsmanship of the weavers.

Pattern

This Hereke is adorned with an impressive tree of life. The tree of life has been a much-loved motif on Oriental rugs, pottery and other decorative objects for centuries. Because the symbol appears in many different cultures all over the world, its exact origin is unclear. The prevailing view is that it comes from ancient Mesopotamia. The features of the tree have changed over the centuries. The meaning given to the tree of life today differs a little from one culture and religion to the next. Almost everywhere, though, the tree of life is credited with sacred qualities.

In the world of yoga it is one of the outstanding spiritual symbols, rooting us to the ground and connecting us with the sky. The tree of life links all forms of life with Mother Earth and the universe.

The background of this Hereke is olive green. Rust red and olive green also dominate the overall impression. The border is worked in rust red and gold. The rust-red centre combines beige and olive green.

Material

The silk in the pile of this Hereke makes the colours of the pattern shine in different facets, 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 very 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. This fine yarn allows smaller rug knots to be tied and therefore finer patterns to be created. That is why the finest rugs in the world are hand-knotted from pure silk.

The pattern of this noble Hereke is also accented by the use of gold threads. The gold threads create a shimmering, lustrous contrast. The fine gold threads are not only precious but also extremely difficult to work with, and they underline the craftsmanship of the weavers. 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 — is possible.