Benaki Museum

Inv. No. EE 1678: Doublettin (white pleated skirt worn as a mantle) made of thin white cotton fabric (hases). It consists of one piece of cloth measuring 82 cm. in width, and another two pieces, each 263 cm. wide. Its total width is 6.08 m. Its folds are gathered in dense pleats at the top, where they are covered by a cotton cloth, forming an upright thick "collar". The surface of the latter (4 cm. wide) is decorated with drawn-thread white embroidery featuring an arch pattern on the one side, and continuous lozenges containing smaller ones on the other side. Along the two narrow and the top long sides there is a fringe of small tassels with red, green, pink and honey-coloured glass beads (petroues = small stones) at their base.

The doublettin, a characteristic element of Karpasia’s festive dress, has the peculiar decoration met in local embroideries and costumes. This pleated mantle was worn over the sayia. A second pleated garment, the red-coloured routziettin, was also worn over the back as a mantle, but was mainly used as a skirt in bridal and festive costumes, along with the sarka. The red mantle was worn by young women, while older women wore the doublettin. Few specimens are preserved in museums today, yet the way doublettin was worn can be seen in old photographs (photo of the Benaki Museum Archive no. 30210, and Hadjimichali 1954, pl. 85; see also Papademetriou 1991, 17 fig. 4).

Length of doublettin: 99cm. width of collar: 34 cm.

Hadjimichali 1983, 383 fig. 410, 396 fig. 425; Papantoniou 2000, 175 fig. 237

Inv. No. EE 117: Female costume from Karpasia, consisting of a chemise (EE 951), a black inner headscarf (EE 2567), baggy pantaloons (vratzia, EE 1586) and a sayia (EE 1623). The costume also comprises a deep red, stamped headscarf (EE 2568), worn loose over the black one, as well as black socks (EE2200), and black leather shoes (EE 2301). Two stamped kerchiefs (EE 3122 and EE 3122a) were donated along with this costume, which was also complemented by earrings (Ea 1885) and a pendant cross (Ea 1884). Donated by Fokion Tanos, Cairo 1948. Hadjimichali 1983, 383, fig. 410.

Inv. No. EE 951: Long chemise made of silk and cotton, woven taiston fabric, namely with puckered bands along the warp, which result in vertical stripes on the woven fabric. The chemise consists of two pieces of fabric, with an additional gore (loxa) on each side and simple stitched joints. The front and back are made of a single piece, without seams at the shoulders. The sleeves, long with a vertical seam, have stitched ends. The chemise’s vertical opening along the chest closes with two mother-of-pearl buttons. Length: 98 cm. Publication: Hadjimichali 1983, 389, fig. 417.

Inv. No. EE 2567: Black scarf made of thin cotton cloth (kouroukla), with a selvage along two of its four sides. The other two sides have no finish. The scarf served as an inner headcover (skoufoma). Women wore an inner headscarf, which they covered with a second scarf, worn on top.

Inv. No. EE 2200: Pair of black cotton, woven socks.

Inv. No. 2301: Pair of shoes made by a shoemaker (skarparisima). Each one consists of two pieces of leather: one for the round front, and another for the heel counter. The shoes are tied with laces and have a low heel made of sole leather. Simple stitches are employed at the joints.   

Inv. No. EE 1586: Vratzin of woven cotton. The povratzia, stitched at both lower ends of the vratzin and tightened around the ankles, are made of thicker cotton fabric decorated with loom embroideries. The latter cover a zone 24 cm. in height, which is visible under the shirt and the sayia. The embroideries belong to the type of the red embroideries (kotsinoplouma) of the loom and are called pefkota because of their density. Their pattern is the karpasitikon (of the Karpasia area) in its older and more basic colours, namely the red and the black of the dyer (deep blue).  The embroidered decoration further features lazarin (bright yellow), orange, vazanin (deep purple), and brown/cinnamon colours, but also gold made of ttellourka, i.e. metal wires, placed at the choliasmata, that is, in the fillings of the central lozenges. Above the embroidered zone there is a row of stylized palm trees.

A similar design is depicted in: Pieridou 1980, pl. Ιβ; Pieridou 1976, pl. V. Hadjimichali 1983, 388, fig. 415.

Inv. No. EE 1623: Sayia made of alatzia katrelioti, namely white cotton fabric with blue, yellow and reddish-brown stripes in the warp. Reddish-brown and blue stripes are also repeated at intervals in the weft, forming a very sparse plaid pattern. The back and the front parts of the garment are made of the same piece of fabric. A deep square opening at the chest closes with a loop and a button. On both sides of the vertical opening, from the base of the chest to the lower end, additional gores (loxes) widening towards the hem facilitate the crossing of the sayia. Gores are also formed at the side openings. The sleeves, sewn vertically to the shoulders, become wider at their lower end. The hem and all the openings are decorated with a reddish-brown cotton string and a zigzag line embroidered with black thread. The opening of the chest is adorned with eight arch-shaped elements, filled with linear patterns made of gold wire, as well as black, green and reddish-brown silk threads. The design is enriched with scrolls. On both right and left sides, the second from the top arch-shaped elements are embellished with a red cross on a gold background. The surface of the cross is decorated with a zigzag line of yellow thread. On the right side of the chest there is a small pocket with an oval opening.

A similar sayia from Karpasia, dated to the 19th century, plaid, with sewn-on embroidery from arch-shaped elements ​​and crosses, is included in the Collection of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge (Papademetriou 2000, 111 cat. 3).

Length of sayia: 114 cm. Length of sleeves: 46 cm. Donated by Loukis Pierides.

Publications: Hadjimichali 1983, 392, fig. 418; COSMESIS 1984, cat. 1.

Inv. No. EE 2568: Scarf dyed in reddish-brown (xydin) colour, with stamped decoration. Its four sides are adorned by a band made of printed floral motifs, while at each corner there is a wreath with leaves and flowers. All designs are similar to those of the other scarves of the collection. Particularly interesting is the pipilla, needle lace along the edges, made of silk threads. Its design comprises small flowers with five white petals around a yellow-coloured centre, and a leaf in olive-green colour.

 Inv. No. 118: Male costume from Karpasia, comprising a shirt (EE 953), breeches (vraka, EE 1587), a waist girdle (zostra, EE 2134), a sleeved waistcoat (zimbounin, EE 1421), a fez (EE 2351), boots (podines, EE 2302), and a pair of hair-woven garters (EE 2242). The costume is complemented by a knitted pouch (pountzin, EE2908) and a leather bag (vourka, EE 3152).

Donated by Fokion Tanos, Cairo 1948.

Inv. No. EE 953: Shirt made of white cotton cloth with light blue and green stripes (alatzia). It has long sleeves and a collar with outward-folded leaves. At the front, along the waistline there is a horizontal stripe, at the endpoint of vertical pleats. At the central, front parts the cloth is sewn in such a way, so as to comprise alternating vertical and oblique stripes. The shirt is fastened by three black buttons, while higher up, under the collar, there are two more buttonholes (the buttons do not survive). The cloth stripes at the sleeve cuffs are set obliquely.

Inv. No. EE 1587: Breeches made of thick cotton cloth, dyed black. These baggy pantaloons pleat around the waste, where they are held in place by means of a girdle (vrakozonin). At the lower front part, two vertical joins cause the cloth to bunch, thus forming a fluffy part in between the calves (sella or vakla, named after the wide and full of fat tail of the sheep found in Cyprus). Breeches were dyed in special oblong jars by local dyers, who employed pomegranate skin, indigo and Rhus coriaria (roudin), a plant also used for tanning purposes (on traditional dyes in Cyprus and the dyeing process applied for breeches, see Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou 2001, 262-276: Ε. Ριζοπούλου-Ηγουμενίδου, «Η παραδοσιακή χρήση φυτών στην Κύπρο στη βαφική και την κοσμητική κατά τους νεότερους χρόνους», στο: Φαρμακευτικά και Αρωματικά Φυτά, Ζ΄ Τριήμερο Εργασίας , Κύπρος, Παραλίμνι, 21-25 Μαρτίου 1997 (Αθήνα 2001), 262-276.  

Inv. No. EE 2134: Waist girdle made of woven black wool, with a white strip along its edges. The warp threads extend in black tassels at the narrow sides. The girdle is characterised by its excessive length, due to which it could be wrapped around the waist multiple times. Dimensions: 220x40 cm.       

Inv. No. EE 1421: Zimbounin (sleeved waistcoat) made of silk and cotton cloth, with stripes in yellow/golden and crimson colours. The crimson stripes are bordered on each side by a thin band with a linear woven motif, namely a fishbone in green colour. The sequence of alternating designs is as follows: yellow stripe, fishbone, crimson stripe, fishbone etc. The waistcoat is open at the front and its two sides cross over at their lower part, which consists of an additional, obliquely positioned piece of cloth.  The back and the front parts are made of a single piece of cloth, without shoulder seams. Seams can be found along the sides, each ending in a small opening. The long sleeves, sewn vertically at the shoulders, have an opening at their lower edge and are simply sewn at their inner side. Their opening is lined with a colourful stamped cloth, the designs of which comprise yellow, green, black and white flowers on a crimson background. The stamped cloth can be seen when the sleeves are folded upwards. The neckline and the front opening are decorated with a twisted string made of black and beige threads, ending in a tassel at the front. The left sleeve is bordered by a black string which forms three decorative knots at intervals, while the middle of the sleeve’s edge is adorned by a tripartite flower with three knots at each side. The lower edge of the waistcoat doesn’t bear any decoration.   

Inv. No. EE 2351: Fez in crimson colour, with a small black cotton tassel.

Inv. No. EE 2302: Tsagkaropodines, pair of peasant boots made of goatskin. The inner light-coloured leather is discernible at the top, where the boot is folded below the knee. Each podina (boot) is made of separate pieces at the front, the heel and the sides, joined together by vertical seams. The soles are made of overlaid pieces of ox skin. Special flathead nails (the rizes or podinorizes), made by local blacksmiths (komodromoi), are fixed on the treads. After nailing, these were fastened to a screw-shaped top, a process known as tzinoma. The twisted nails can be seen in the outline of the sole. A horseshoe-shaped iron platani is nailed at the back, where the sole becomes thicker. The join between sole and upper leather is adorned with a string of twisted thread.

For men’s boots they used the skin of a two-year-old goat, lined with sheepskin on the inside. The skins were being processed in Cypriot countryside tanneries (gnafkia), the main ones of which continued to operate up to the second half of the 20th century in the villages of Psimolofou and Pedoulas. Vegetable tanning was applied, using leaves of Rhus coriaria (commonly called roudin or sumac).

For boot dyeing they used xithkia, a paint made by shoemakers from vinegar, pieces of old iron objects, usually rusty nails, and useless leather scraps (Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou 1996, 169-170; Kanthos 1981, 125-129).bl. bibliography Benaki

Inv. No. EE 2242: Pair of strings (pair) spun of white and brown goat hair on the adrahtas (big wooden spindle). The podinorammata (boot strings) were used to fasten the boots (podines) at the top, near the knee.

Inv. No. EE 2908: Knitted pouch (pountzin) made of silk thread in its natural off-white colour. The long and narrow purse extends to a knitted string that ends in a tassel. The same string is also connected to another double string with tassels (flokkouthkia). Four of these tassels are attached to the middle of the string and another to its end. A threaded reddish-brown bead is found at the base of each of the two bobbles at the edges. More tassels adorn the bag, surrounding it in two rows, while another is found at its bottom. Between the rows of tassels, the bag is embroidered with yellow/gold, green, red, blue and brown beads arranged in two circumferential zones with geometric patterns. Length: 42 cm.

Similar pouches are found in Cypriot private collections and museums, such as the Museum of Folk Art in Yeroskipou and Lefkara, and the Levention Municipal Museum in Nicosia. Knitted pouches with beads are published in: Papademetriou 2008, 33. 

Inv. No. EE 3152: Leather bag (vourka) for the storage of shepherds and farmers’ food. It is made of tanned goat skin, with dense and thin fringes at the top and bottom, adorned with shells and glass beads in light green and blue colours. The bag closes by pulling two strings that are spun of white and brown hair. These strings pass through the amboustes, namely the pleats at the opening of the bag. Their other end is connected to the edges formed by the two front legs of the animal, at the back side of the bag. In this way the vourka can be hanged on the shoulder.

 Inv. No. EE 4323: Man’s yelekkin (waistcoat) from Nicosia, worn as part of the urban attire. It is made of black European-made broadcloth with goldwork embroideries. The back is formed by a single piece of broadcloth, while the front consists of two pieces. The waistcoat has an additional collar and an oval opening at the chest. Further below, it is fastened by means of opposite loops made of yellow string. Applied braids of twisted gold threads (gaitania, bobbins) decorate all openings, the collar, the side seams, and the edges of the waistcoat. On both sides of the front opening, decorative patterns made of twisted gold threads comprise winding stems and flowers, three on each side. A narrow band with a zigzag line extends along the front opening. The waistcoat is lined with cotton stamped cloth, decorated with a winding branch bearing leaves and flowers in vertical rows. All motifs are dark yellow on a white background. Along the inner side of the collar and the opening, the lining in reinforced by a band of purple cloth, 5cm. wide. The broadcloth is worn in certain places.

The waistcoats of the male formal attire, made of broadcloth or velvet, as well as the waistcoats of the female attire (sarkes), were sewn and decorated with gold wires or silk threads by tailors who worked mainly in Nicosia. A Cypriot popular song of the 19th century mentions: “On the beautiful broadcloth gold braids are attached” (see Papadopoullos 1975, 238B.35 verse 3). The waistcoat presented here falls under the specific dress category with these features. Dimensions: 43x37cm.

It belonged to the collection of Angeliki Pieridou and was donated by George and Marina Pieridou, in 1981.

Inv. No. EE 4324: Man’s waistcoat (yelekkin) made of striped cloth (alatzia) in blue, yellow and light brown (siettarin) colours. The back of this sleeveless overgarment consists of a single piece of cloth that is stitched at the sides, under the armpits, to the two front pieces, leaving two small openings at the lower part. The waistcoat has a vertical opening at the front, along the chest, and a small collar, all bordered with a blue twisted string that also forms loops for the fastening buttons, again in blue colour. The string also extends along part of the horizontal lower edge of the yelekkin. A similar string decorates the opening of a pocket, placed at the middle of the opening along the chest. The edges of the arm openings are stitched with blue thread. Both sides of the vertical opening of the waistcoat, as well as the collar, are decorated near their edge with a sewn-on weft band. The latter consists of red, yellow and blue threads and is bordered by a zig zag line made of blue thread. A similar line also borders the decorated pocket opening. The waistcoat is lined with white cotton cloth, while the pocket has a striped cloth (alatzia) lining, featuring blue, red and white colours. Dimensions: 20x20 cm. It belonged to the collection of Angeliki Pieridou and was donated to the Benaki Museum by George and Marina Pieridou , in 1981.

Inv. No. EE 4322: Man’s waistcoat (yelekkin), probably from Karavas or Lapithos, made of cotton striped cloth (alatzia) in bright colours (red, yellow, white, light green etc.). The back and the sides are made of a single piece of cloth that is stitched at the shoulders and the sides to the two pieces of the front part. The latter extend to angular edges and cross over the chest, forming a U-shaped opening. The yelekkin is fastened by seven diagonally-arranged round buttons made of silk twisted string. A vase-shaped pocket is sewn at the right front side of the waistcoat. It is made of black broadcloth at the upper part and (trimmed) velvet at the lower, and its outline is adorned with strings and braids of twisted threads (gaitania, bobbins). Similar decoration is applied along the edges and the openings of the waistcoat.

Spiral decorative motifs of black twisted threads and strings extend along the openings at the chest and along the centre of the back. The latter opening is cross-fastened by means of a yellow rubber lace (probably a later addition), which passes through holes with sequins and is tied at the lower end of the garment. The right side of the chest features a composite decorative element with lozenges, braids and chequered motifs made of orange and light blue twisted strings. Similar elements are also found on other waistcoats. The yelekkin is lined with white cotton cloth.

In regard to its design and decoration, this example is similar to the waistcoat belonging to the costume of a Cypriot villager (late 19th century), now part of the National Historical Museum collection (Cypriot Costumes 1999, 147). Dimensions: 47x44 cm.

It belonged to the collection of Angeliki Pieridou and was donated to the Benaki Museum by George and Marina Pieridou, in 1981.   

Inv. No. EE 3122a: Scarf made of thin cotton cloth dyed in green colour, with stamped motifs similar to the ones of Inv. No. 3122 of the Benaki Collection. The lace border (pipilla) comprises continuous green, three-partite branches, ending in a small flower. Green scarves were the first that ceased to be produced in Cyprus: they were worn by young women, who stopped using them in the course of the 20th century, thus causing a drop in demand. This scarf was part of the Karpasia attire Inv. No. EE 117. Only a few examples of green scarves survive in museum collections.   Dimensions: 77x77 cm. Hadjimichali 1983, 394, fig. 422.

Inv. No. EE 3122: Scarf made of thin cotton cloth (kouroukla), dyed in deep red colour (xydin). It is decorated with stamped patterns. Floral designs extend along its edges (kkenarin, from the Turkish word kenar = edge), while its four corners are further adorned with a neoclassical motif, namely a wreath of leaves and flowers, known as milia. The lace which borders the scarf (pipilla) is made of green silk thread and comprises continuous arched motifs (kamares). Each of these motifs encloses a three-petaled flower with a red-brown knot at its centre.

The stamped wreath motif, known as politiko due to its provenance, was employed at the workshop of Evris Mantilaris from the older days of its operation until it closed down in 2004. However, the same motif was also used by other producers of stamped scarves (mantilarides), who used to add their initials on the mould used during the stamping process (information by Dinos Kakoullis). The initials on this scarf are indistinct. Dimensions: 77x77 cm. Donated by Fokion Tanos, Cairo 1948.

This scarf is part of the Karpasia attire Inv. No: EE 117  [Cat. No. 85.] Publication Hadjimichali 1983, 394, fig. 423.

Headscarf made of crimson-dyed silk with goldwork. Independent clusters of undyed lozenges (reserved patterns) form a cross in the middle of the headscarf. The disc-shaped centre of the cross comprises 17 little lozenges, while its four sides consist of five or six lozenges in a rosette arrangement. An undyed zigzag band runs along the edges of the scarf, and a bit further inside a branch with stylised leaves and flowers forms a continuous border, embroidered with gold thread in satin stitches, and thinner gold threads for fillings. Each corner of this border is decorated with a small bouquet comprising three similarly-embroidered flowers. The scarf’s edges are adorned with thin goldwork lace. Dimensions: 53x56 cm. Publication Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou 1996, 154, fig. 139.

This craftwork may be compared to examples of similar technique from Syria (Zernickel 1992, 195).

Inv. No. 2569: Square scarf made of silk and decorated with the tie-dye technique. The design, although similar to the one of no. 2570 of the Benaki Collection, is better defined and features brighter colours: white, blue, red, crimson, green and yellow. Two of the scarf’s sides end in a hem, while tassels in the crimson colour of the background decorate the other two sides. Dimensions: 74x74 cm. Publication Hadjimichali 1983, 395, fig. 424.