Hereké silk carpet (warp, weft and silk pile), Western Turkey, circa 1950-1980. (Good condition.) Length: 115 cm; Width: 73 cm. The carpet is embellished with numerous polychrome flowering trees on an ivory background. A wide pink border with garlands of flowers is framed by two counter-borders. Signed. "Héréké is a small town in Turkey on the shores of the Gulf of Izmit. In 1844, when the Ottomans had to abandon Egypt, they transferred the major manufacturing trades from Cairo to Héréké. Hereke, 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. From the outset, Héréké carpets were considered to be prestigious pieces because of their quality of the material used, silk and precious metal threads. The silk thread used throughout the carpet produced an exceptionally fine knot". Bibliographical reference: Sabahi, T "Splendeurs des tapis d'Orient", Atlas edition, p. 211. Expert : Alexandre CHEVALIER