Hereke in pure silk | 193 x 120 cm | Nr. Z-2675

Floral Hereke in pure silk, golden beige with border and medallion

Origin	Turkey
Dimensions	193 cm x 120 cm (= 2.316 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk Weft & Warp: pure silk
knots per m²2	1.000.000
Pile height	3mm
Year of manufacture	2000
Colour	Gold-beige, rust red
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.

Pattern

The ornate border forms a wonderful contrast with the centre and shapes the transition at the edge of the rug.

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 golden beige. The border is worked in golden beige, rust red and olive green. Rust red and olive green are combined in the golden-beige centre.

Condition

This Hereke has a story to tell. It was hand-knotted around 2000. We have cleaned it thoroughly and lovingly restored it. Despite its age, it is therefore in very good condition.

Material

The silk of this Hereke's pile makes the colours of the pattern glow 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 and still tear-resistant. The fine yarn makes it possible to tie smaller knots and thus to create finer patterns. 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. The fine yet hard-wearing material of the weft and warp threads allows for particularly fine knotting and therefore for a particularly fine pattern.