Hereke carpet

This oversize Hereke carpet from Turkey draws an intricate design of palmettes and cloudbands within a lattice against an indigo field. Turn-of-the-century Hereke pieces such as this often employ a series of designs derived from classical Persian carpets of the sixteenth century. This may at first seem peculiar, as these pieces were woven under imperial Ottoman patronage just outside of Istanbul. However, the increased awareness and appreciation throughout Europe of classical carpets from various regions of the Near East during the turn of the century was an international phenomenon, and the weavers at Hereke both followed and helped set the trend. Oversize Hereke carpets such as this were initially woven for the Ottoman court and for foreign dignitaries. As production met demand they became more available in the markets of Istanbul in the beginning of the twentieth century.