fabric

Men's double-breasted vest. The front part consists of two pieces of grey silk fabric, while the back is made of a single piece of black velvet. On the right front side, there is a vase-shaped pocket outlined by orange, yellow, green and red threads. The date 1963 is embroidered in yellow thread in the centre of the pocket’s surface. The vest is fastened across the chest with six buttons. It is adorned all around with black braid, which also surrounds the buttonholes, while a wide sewn-on decorative trim accentuates the neck opening. There is a decorative rectangular design on the right side of the chest, with a zigzag pattern on the inside and tiny spirals all around, embroidered with red, light blue, green, and yellow threads. The back of the vest has a central vertical opening with 12 white metallic eyelets arranged in facing pairs, through which cross light blue cords. Around the opening and edges, the vest is decorated with a machine-embroidered chain-like design in yellow and green colours. At the top of the opening, there is an elaborate embroidered decorative pattern consisting of a lozenge extending upwards and downwards with stylised floral motifs. Similar colourful decorative elements characterise traditional Cypriot vests.

Dimensions: height 42 cm., width 46 cm.

Donation: I. Papantoniou.

Men’s double-breasted vest (yelekkin) made of black velvet. The front part consists of two pieces that cross over the chest on both sides, with rows of black buttons arranged diagonally. There are eight buttons on one side, while only six are preserved on the other side. It features rich sewn-on decoration made of grey cord, forming spiral and lattice patterns in different combinations, including: a dense composition of spirals creating a wide band around the neck opening, various spiral patterns at the openings that correspond to the buttons, lattice pattern at the base of the buttons, and a simpler design in the form of a series of lozenges around the bottom edge of the vest. Internally, the opening of the neck/chest is reinforced with braid. On the right side of the chest, there is a vase-shaped pocket outlined by sewn-on double cord, with the year 1918 embroidered in off-white, along with the initials ΚΠ (KP) in orange. The waistcoat has an inner pocket opening on the left side, which is reinforced all around with sewn-on black cord. The back consists of a single piece of fabric without an opening but with sewn-on decoration at the top and bottom. At the bottom, there is a curved triangular motif inspired by Oriental art, covered with a composition of spirals, while the top of the back features a small lozenge with mat design filling and spiral-shaped endings above and below. Internally, the opening of the neck/chest is reinforced with braid. On the lining, the name Κυριάκος Γ.Χ. Σταυρή (Kyriakos G.X. Stavri) and ΕΠΟΛ (EPOL) are written with ink, while the name Τρίκωμο (Trikomo), a village in the Famagusta District, is embroidered in red thread. Similar vests are included in the Collection of the Folklore Historical Museum of Corinth. Two identical “sklavounika” velvet waistcoats, dating from 1910, are part of family heirlooms from Peristeronopigi, a village in Mesaoria (Michalopoulou-Charalambous, 1993, 202, 203).

Dimensions: height 39 cm., width 43 cm.

Donation: K. Ioannidis.

Men’s double-breasted vest (yelekkin). The front is made of ready-made striped black fabric, and the back of black velvet. The front consists of two pieces of fabric that cross over the chest on both sides. This is also apparent in the arrangement of the buttons. On the right side of the chest are eight buttons and nine buttonholes, arranged diagonally. On the left, there are also eight buttons, fastened diagonally. Cord is sewn on the inside, and further up there is a single button. All the buttons are black, as is the decoration, which consists of a design along the base of the buttons, continuous spirals arranged diagonally on the chest, dense sewn-on cords forming a wide band around the opening of the neck, and a mesh pattern at the lower edge. On the right side of the front, there is a vase-shaped pocket with an outline of coloured cords. A horizontal embroidered band divides the pocket’s surface into two parts. On the top part, the date 1912, the year the waistcoat was made, is embroidered in orange, and on the bottom part, also in orange colour, the initials ΠΓ (PG), belonging to the owner. On the chest, above the pocket, sewn-on cords form a small, colourful decorative pattern, rectangular in shape with a mat design filling, surrounded by tiny spirals in yellow/orange, blue, and burgundy colours. This peculiar decorative motif is characteristic of other vests in the collection of the Costume Museum of the Lykeion ton Ellinidon, as well as other Cypriot collections, such as that of the Folklore Historical Museum of Corinth.

The back is made of a single piece of black velvet, which extends below the armpits and is joined with coloured seams to the front pieces. In the centre of the back, there is a vertical opening that would have been closed with some kind of ribbon passing through the remaining eyelets for a better fit on the body. The opening is bordered with sewn-on cord in blue, green, and orange, forming a decorative band of lattice pattern, which extends around the sides of the vest. The ends of the decorative band are adorned with tiny burgundy spirals.

A pair of leaf-shaped motifs in green and burgundy adorn the top of the opening on the back of the vest. The decoration continues with a lozenge filled with a mat design, as well as stylised floral patterns in a vertical arrangement. The vest is lined with off-white cotton fabric, and the neck opening is reinforced with braid.

Dimensions: height 35 cm., width 41 cm.

Donation: N. Triantafyllou.

Two pieces of embroidered fabric for slippers, part of the dowry of Antaram Chichegian (Ανταρος Τατσιγιάν), Mara. Antaram Tavitian Chichegian intended to make a pair of slippers for her fiancé Canabed Chichegian. The embroidery on the black fabric, which would form the upper part of the slippers, consists of colourful -red and white- flowers with green leaves. The young girl brought the two pieces of fabric with her from the village of Germir in Kayseri to Marash, and from Mersin to Mara, where she was married. Due to the massacres, the slippers were never completed. During the massacres, both the girl and her fiancé died of typhus, but the slippers came to Cyprus with Mrs. Antaram's mother, Mrs. Maritsa. They were later inherited by Mrs. Antaram's son, Hasop Chichegian, and are now in the possession of Mrs. Sirvart.

A small piece of Zabelle Melikian's wedding veil. The tulle features embroidered swans in their natural habitat.