Men’s double-breasted vest (yelekkin) with buttons in a diagonal arrangement. On the right side, 10 buttons are preserved (one is missing), corresponding to 11 buttonholes, while on the left side, all 11 buttons are preserved. The two front pieces are made of black velvet with rich embroidered decoration, similar to that of vests 2683/2 and 2684/3. On the right side of the chest, there is a vase-shaped pocket with embroidered decoration made of cord and golden thread. A bird is embroidered on the upper part of the pocket. Its outline is decorated with golden thread, while the filling is done with silk threads in green and yellow. The rest of the pocket's surface is embroidered with spiral and lattice designs using golden thread. Higher up, on the right side of the chest, a small, colourful and stylised decorative motif is displayed, composed of tiny spirals and a filled horizontal rectangle, all embroidered with silk threads in red, yellow, blue, and green. This standardised design also decorates other vests. The back is made of red velvet and bears rich embroidered decoration of curvilinear patterns, which are repeated in the two facing birds with their heads turned backwards. Stylised birds are a characteristic feature of traditional Cypriot men’s vests, especially of the festive waistcoats of the Turkish Cypriots. They are typically embroidered on the pockets or backs of the garments, using coloured threads that differentiate the parts of the body of the bird (see, for example, Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou and Damdelen 2012, 204-209: 087-089). A similar design featuring a coloured bird and black embroidered decoration is also found on trousers made of blue felt, which, together with matching vests, comprise the traditional festive attire of the Turkish Cypriots (Gangadi et al. 1999, 118-119).
Dimensions: height 39 cm. width 44 cm.
Donation: K. Ioannidi
