red

Women’s headscarf made of kouroukla, dyed in a deep red colour called tzeramidin. It is decorated with printed floral motifs in red and yellow, with black outline. The designs – of the edges (kkenarin) and the four corners (the milia) – are similar to those of the other printed headscarves of the workshop of Evris Michael (or Euripides Mantilaris) and Kakoullis Brothers. Pipilla lace decorates the edges of the headscarf and is handsewn in silk thread. The pattern features tiny white flowers with green leaves, repeated in a row.

The headscarf shows signs of wear, and repair indicates that the pipilla lace had come apart in some places. Despite this, the clarity of its motifs and the brightness of its colours are well preserved. Similar samples exist in the National Historical Museum in Athens (Gangadi et al. 1999, 178, fig. 179, 180), in the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, in the Historical and Folklore Museum of Corinth, in the Municipal Museum of Folk Art in Limassol, as well as in private collections.

Dimensions: length 100 cm., width 100 cm.

Workshop of printed headscarves Evris Michael and Kakoullis Brothers, Nicosia.

Woman’s headscarf made of kouroukla, dyed with a dark burgundy colour, called xidin (the colour of vinegar). They are decorated with printed floral motifs in red and yellow, with black outlining. The designs – of the edges (kkenarin) and the four corners (the milia) – are similar to those of the other printed headscarves of the workshop of Evris Michael (or Euripides Mantilaris) and Kakoullis Brothers. Pipilla lace decorates the edges of the headscarves and is handsewn in silk thread. The lace pattern features tiny white flowers with green leaves, repeated in a row.

Similar scarves exist in the Benaki Museum (Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou 2010, 111, no. 77; see also Hadjimichali 1983, 394, fig. 423), in the Cyprus Folk Art Museum of the Society of Cypriot Studies, in the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, in the Historical and Folklore Museum of Corinth, in the Municipal Museum of Folk Art in Limassol, as well as in private collections.

Dimensions: length 100 cm., width 100 cm.

Workshop of printed headscarves Evris Michael and Kakoullis Brothers, Nicosia.

Purchased in Nicosia in the 1960s at the price of 55 drachmas.

Donation: I. Papantoniou.

Women’s fez of red felt, without lining. It is paired with a small white headscarf (CMLE 2116/9). The fez has two black tassels of silk thread, one short and one long. The short tassel is secured radially to the top of the fez, where it forms the tepeliki. Its fringes fall all around, covering the rest of the surface and are secured with two rows of stitches. The second tassel, a long dangling flokkos, falls to the side and reaches the shoulder. On the other side of the fez, a white headscarf of georgette material is attached, decorated all around with pipilla, fine needle lace, sewn with golden thread and green thread. In the four corners, there is a rudimentary decoration of tiny gold sequins secured with green thread.

Fez dimensions: height 12 cm., diameter 14 cm., tassel length: 63 cm.

Purchase price: 35 drachmas on 28-04-1956.

Women’s fez of red felt, without lining. It has two black tassels of silk thread, one short and one long. The short tassel forms the tepeliki at the top of the fez. Its fringes fall all around, covering the rest of the surface, and are secured with two rows of stitches. The second tassel, a long dangling flokkos (tassel), falls to the side and reaches the shoulder.

Fez dimensions: height 14 cm., diameter 14 cm., tassel length: 48 cm.

Purchase price: 149 drachmas on 27-12-1956.

Women's red fez made of felt, without lining. It features two tassels made of black silk threads, one short and the other long. The short tassel starts from the centre of the top and forms the tepeliki, which covers the upper part of the fez. Its fringes fall all around, covering the fez, onto which it is secured with two rows of stitches. The second tassel, a long dangling tassel, flokkos, falls on the side and reaches shoulder height. The fez is paired with the white handkerchief 2145.

Dimensions: height 12 cm., diameter 14 cm., tassel length 63 cm.

Purchase Price: 149 drachmas.

Originally, each medallion formed the lower part of an earring. The lower part of the earing is oval in shape and consists of a six-petal flower and four leaves. The centre of the flower is occupied by a big ruby. There are two more rubies between the leaves, one on either side. In the second medallion one ruby is missing. The surface of the petals and the leaves are set with diamonds, 50 in total. (height: 3cm width: 2,5 cm). Allegedly the upper part of the earring was transformed into a modern ring. This part consists of a big ruby in the centre and seven diamonds around it, forming a flower.

Fez (fesin, turk. fes) made of dark red felt. The felt is stuck onto cardboard, which forms the inside lining and keeps the fez in shape. From the centre of the top protrudes a piece of felt, on which is stitched a tassel made of twisted black thread. The fez is old and worn. Diameter of top: 14cm. Opening: 18cm. Height: 12cm. Length of tassel: 16.5cm.

Fermeli is men’s short sleeved waistcoat, richly decorated with gold braids; (from the Albanian fermele); it is recorded as fermeni, in Greek Cy­priot documents.

The Fermeli  is made of red felt. The back is of a single piece of material, and the front is made of two pieces fastened vertically by six buttons braided of naturally coloured silk thread. At the centre of the front there is a semi-circular false pocket formed of gold gaitania (turk. gaytan or kaytan, cotton or silk cord, twisted gold braid). The Fermeli has an upright collar and long sleeves, sewn vertically to the back and hanging free front. The sleeves and edges of the openings are richly trimmed with gaitania, forming a variety of spiral motifs. The opening at the front is further adorned with an attached gold-woven band in which flowers and zig-zag line are woven. The fastening loops are secured in position by an attached vertical gold band woven with gaitania and braids of twisted multi-coloured silk threads. The Fermeli is lined with white cotton material, and the collar and sleeves have a lining of striped cotton material adorned with printed garlands and bouquets of flowers.