Very fine and original Hereke, signed “Hereke” - Lot 179

Very fine and original Hereke, signed “Hereke” Silk Anatolia Turkey Circa 1975 Dimensions: 090 x 062 cm Velvet, warp, weft, and fringes in silk 100% silk Density: Approx. 11/12,000 knots per dm² Remarkable fineness Good overall condition Beautiful polychromatic design Prayer-rug shape Golden-beige field decorated with an original undulating mihrab, featuring an original stylized oil lamp with a bowl surrounded by two finely drawn birds and adorned with an original composition of stylized flowers with double wings rendered in polychrome. Wide salmon-pink border featuring interlaced multicolored floral garlands framed by floral bulbs. Bibliography: Pure Silk Turkish Rugs from Hereke and Kayseri / Ref. by Ugur Ayyildiz. See Ahi, T. Splendors of Oriental Rugs. Edwin Gans-Ruedin (Carpet Knowledge) Hereke is a small town in Turkey on the shores of the Gulf of Izmir. In 1844, when the Ottomans were forced to abandon Egypt, they transferred the large looms from the Cairo workshops to Hereke. Hereke, being closer to Constantinople, seemed the ideal place to continue the tradition. Since 2010, the production of Hereke carpets has almost come to a halt, as the cost per square meter has risen and become very expensive.