Hereké silk carpet (warp, weft and silk velvet embellished w - Lot 287

Hereké silk carpet (warp, weft and silk velvet embellished with gold thread), Western Turkey, circa 1950-1980 (Good condition.) Length: 170 cm; Width: 125 cm This rare and exceptional carpet, with its extremely fine knotting (approx. 1,000,000 knots per m²), is a painting with a lively landscape decor: on the banks, a flock of sheep in the foreground, a deer and a doe against a forest background. A river with ducks separates them. The wide, old-red main border, decorated with vases, flowering trees and birds, is framed by two small counter-borders. This rug is knotted lengthwise. "Héréké is a small Turkish town on the shores of the Gulf of Izmit. In 1844, when the Ottomans had to abandon Egypt, they transferred the large looms of the Cairo factories to Héréké. Héréké, closer to Istanbul, seemed the ideal place to continue Cairo's own textile tradition of superb carpets for the local aristocracy and European ambassadors. Indeed, a year earlier, in 1843, a very large silk spinning mill, the Manufacture Impériale de la Soie, was inaugurated in Héréké. Right from the start, Héréké carpets were considered prestigious pieces for their fine craftsmanship and the quality of the material used - silk and precious metal threads. The silk thread used for the entire carpet made it possible to achieve exceptional knotting finesse." Bibliographical reference: - Sabahi, T "Splendeurs des tapis d'Orient", Atlas edition, p.211.