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"HEREKE SILK FABRIC AND
CARPET FACTORY
Hereke Fabrika-i Hümâyûn was established at
Hereke east of Istanbul in 1843. At the time it
was the largest such manufactory for silk fabric
and carpets in the Ottoman Empire.
Efforts to develop Turkish industry along western
lines commenced in the early l9th century, and
the Hereke Silk Fabric underwent a series of
changes and improvements which kept it at the
forefront of technology in its field. Fabrics and
carpets were woven here for Dolmabahçe and all
the other imperial residences, which served as
display cases for the finest of the
factory’s products. While Dolmabahçe Palace
was under construction a weaving mill known as
the Hereke Dökümhanesi was set up in the
grounds to produce the items required for
furnishing the new palace in situ.
Today the Hereke factory continues in operation
as a museum-factory, an exceptional example of
this genre of institution." Republic
of Turkey, Ministry of Culture - Hereke Silk
Fabric and Carpet Factory The
very fine Hereke silk rugs are extremely labor intensive and the prices
tend to reflect that. Hereke copies are made in China particularly in
Zhenping in Henan province. The market place sees the Chinese copies as
no more than copies and the real Hereke is much more valued in the
marketplace. (I wrote about the Chinese copies in the late 90s. Now in
2010 the nature of world trade and the cost of Chinese labor makes the
Chinese copies less common if they are still made.)
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Hereke
Rugs: Hereke rug silk and metal-thread , C. 1930
lot 15
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