Hereke in pure silk | 140 x 84 cm | Nr. Z-2809

Hereke in pure silk

Delivery time	2 days
Origin	Turkey
Dimensions	140 cm x 84 cm (= 1.18 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk Weft & Warp: pure silk
knots	810.000
Year of manufacture	1985
Condition	pre-owned, but in very good condition (cleaned & restored)
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 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.

Material

The silk of the pile of this Hereke in pure silk makes the colours of the pattern glow in different nuances, depending on how the light falls. It turns this Hereke in pure silk into a true jewel and creates an atmosphere in the room that is welcoming 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 produced that are light in weight yet still resistant to tearing. This thin yarn makes it possible to tie smaller knots and so to create finer patterns. That is why the finest rugs in the world are hand-knotted from pure silk.

With this Hereke in pure silk, even the foundation is made of pure silk. Because the weft and warp threads are made of this thin yet hard-wearing material, an especially fine knotting – and with it an especially fine pattern – becomes possible.

Condition

You are not the first to take a liking to this Hereke in pure silk. It has had owners before you who valued it and lived with it. It was knotted around 1985. We have cleaned it thoroughly and restored it with care. Despite its age, it is therefore in very good condition.