Turkish Hereke Handmade Silk Rug. Glorious symmetrical Tree of Life motif takes up the bulk of the center field, with floral patterns throughout the borders and signatures in cartouches woven into both top and bottom ends. Label from distributor with information about the rug on the underside. 

Size: 37 x 24 in. 

Hereke carpets are handmade Turkish rugs produced in the coastal town of Hereke, utilizing materials such as silk, wool, and sometimes gold or silver threads. Production began in 1841 when Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I established the Hereke Imperial Manufacture to furnish his Dolmabahçe Palace with unique, high-quality textiles, gathering together artists and weavers from all over the Empire into one place. This led to a wide variety of carpets being created, some far more intricate or pictorial than others, and later sultans often used the larger palace-sized carpets as diplomatic gifts for visiting royalty and statesmen, spreading interest in the style throughout Europe. The carpets are still highly valued, and many of the originals have survived due to the Turkish double knots and high loop density, meaning both silk and cotton rugs last much longer. Following a period of restricted production after the Ottoman Empire’s collapse, master weavers revived the craft in the mid 20th Century, continuing to use traditional Ottoman designs.

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