Hereke in pure silk | 327 x 222 cm | Nr. Z-2686

Floral Hereke in pure silk, beige with border and medallion

Origin	Turkey
Dimensions	327 cm x 222 cm (= 4.37 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: pure silk Weft & Warp: pure silk
knots per m²2	560.000
Pile height	5mm
Year of manufacture	2000
Colour	Beige, Blue-grey
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

From the Turkish town of Hereke come exceptionally valuable 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 at a density of up to 6 million knots per m². Thanks to the knotting technique, the pattern is incidentally just as clear on the back as it is on the front. At renowned art auction houses, antique Turkish rugs fetch top prices.

Typical motifs of 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 that suit 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 shade.

Pattern

The edge of the rug is graced by a surround (border) . The border forms a lovely contrast to the centre.

The lavish floral motifs of this Hereke are elegant and varied in design. The graceful plant symbols, showing blossoms, leaves and branches, are artfully intertwined.

In the middle of the central field of this Hereke lies the symmetrical centre, which is 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 beige. The border is designed in light brown, blue-grey and beige. In the beige centre, light red and blue-grey are combined.

Condition

This Hereke has had admirers before you. The pile is worn in places. It was hand-knotted around 2000 . We have cleaned it thoroughly and lovingly restored it. It is therefore – despite its age – in very good condition.

Material

The Silk of the pile of this Hereke makes the colours of the pattern glow in different 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 silkworm. Because the individual silk filaments are extremely long, very fine yarns can be spun that are light in weight yet still strong. This fine yarn makes it possible to tie smaller rug 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 was made from pure silk . Thanks to the thin yet hard-wearing material of the weft and warp threads, an especially fine knotting – and with it an especially fine pattern – is possible.