Female

Skarpinia (shoes) are very elegantly and delicately made. Handmade, with heels and pointed toes, they are of soft black leather. 

Headscarf (tsemberi) made of fine cotton cloth (kouroukla), with black (karakalemi) printed floral decoration consisting of continuous, narrow wreaths of printed patterns around the borders (kenarin) and branches with flowers in the corners. 

Headscarf (tsemberi) made of fine cotton cloth (kouroukla), with black (karakalemi) printed floral decoration consisting of continuous, narrow wreaths of printed patterns around the borders (kenarin) and branches with flowers in the corners. 

Headscarf (tsemberi) made of fine cotton cloth (kouroukla), with black (karakalemi) printed floral decoration consisting of continuous, narrow wreaths of printed patterns around the borders (kenarin) and branches with flowers in the corners. 

Headscarf (tsemberi) made of fine cotton cloth (kouroukla), with black (karakalemi) printed floral decoration consisting of continuous, narrow wreaths of printed patterns around the borders (kenarin) and branches with flowers in the corners. 

Purse made of cotton thread in its natural off-white colour. It is hand-knitted with decorative patterns in nine horizontal rows. The four of them have perforated patterns. The lower part is plain, densely knitted. The lower part has two decorative additional tassels and also one at the bottom of the purse. All of them are made from the same material and of the same colour with the purse. The openning is closed with a string.

ΜΓ 385

Formal foustanin of striped silk(?) imported fabric with gold, blue and fine red-white stripes. Because of its weave, the gold colour is not visible internally. Cotton alatzia with broad burgundy stripes, alternating with intricate bands of black-delimited white and green stripes, is used on the breast, the waistband and part of the back. That specific part of the dress is particularly worn from long use, showing altered colours, especially under the armpits. Beige cotton fabric has been added to the lower part of the back.

The dress has a simple neckline and a vertical opening at the front, 44 cm tall, which reaches below the waist at a height of 11-12 cm. Fine ready-made(?) banded lace is sewn onto the right side of the opening. Similar lace was probably originally featured on the left side of the breast too. At the front, either side of the breast consists of two panels of cotton alatzia, hand-sewn with red thread. The lower panel, 5.5 cm in height, as well as the waistband, 3.5-4 cm tall, are made of the same alatzia but preserve their original vibrant colours. The upper panels extend to the back in a single fabric piece, 5.5 cm in height. Its lower part, which is joined to the cotton fabric that forms the lower part of the back up to the waistband (height: 17.5 cm, width: 37.5 cm), also features more vibrant colours.

The stripes of the alatzia are horizontal on the waistband. Either side of the front opening extends to a tongue-shaped end made of an added band of a different fabric (10 cm long on the left and 7 cm long on the right). Each extension features a hook, paired to an eye on the waistband, one internally and the other externally. A blue trimming band, densely stitched with orange thread, runs along the entire length of the opening and the extensions of the waistband.

The skirt is wide, densely gathered in the upper part, where it is joined to the waistband. It comprises four pieces of fabric, 60 cm wide each, with the stripes in horizontal arrangement. The blue selvedge is discernible at the handmade joints. At 30 cm over the hem, 4.5 cm-wide lace with consecutive yellow-gold lozenges, is stitched by hand (basting) with white thread along the upper side, whereas the lower side is unstitched. A reinforcing band of white cotton fabric, 3.5-5 cm wide, is hand-stitched with orange cotton thread.

The sleeves are made of the same silk fabric as the skirt, with the stripes in horizontal arrangement. Sewn vertically to the body, they consist of a single fabric piece with an inseam. Two gussets of striped cotton alatzia, red with fine yellow stripes, have been added to each armpit to repair wear. A 14 cm- tall opening is featured at the lower end of each sleeve. A decorative sewn-in braid runs around the edge of the sleeve. Small loops are created in two places on the braid whereas a small tassel is featured at the middle of the opening’s one side.

The bodice of the dress is lined with various types of fabrics: white-beige cotton fabric with red criss-cross stripes for the body; plain white cotton on the sleeves, up to the opening, and for the lower part alatzia with blue, yellow, green and burgundy stripes (height of lining at the opening: 23 cm).

In the Registry of the Museum the dress has been entered as a wedding dress. The poorly preserved upper part of the dress suggests that, albeit originally formal, the garment had been overused.

Height: 125 cm (bodice: 33 cm, skirt: 92 cm).

Width: 36 cm at the waist.

Length of sleeves: 51.5 cm.

Width of sleeves: 13 cm.

Date of entry to the Collection: 8.7.1983

Provenance: Theletra, Pafos – Purchased from Despoinou Nikola.

ΜΓ 41

Saya of silk or silk-cotton fabric with alternating red and green stripes, flanked by finer stripes in other colours.

The long-sleeved garment features a deep oval neckline that extends into a vertical opening. The upper part of this opening closes with five handmade spherical buttons of an off-white fabric core, lined with maroon thread. The buttons were originally paired with loops, yet only two posterior loops of black cord survive.

The entire back side and both front panels of the saya consist of a single fabric panel with seams along the sides. Two side openings in the lower part of the garment (height: 37 cm) are framed by two narrow gores each. These gores, which match the height of the vertical front opening, widen towards the hem to enhance movement (maximum width: 6-7 cm). The side openings are trimmed along their upper part with white braid. Two elongated trapezoid gores extend additionally on either side of the vertical front opening, again widening towards the hem (maximum width: 18 cm).

The upright collar (height: 2 cm) is lined with the fabric of the saya. Black braid edges the collar, the neckline and, further down, the upper part of the vertical opening. The saya reaches to the mid-calf, featuring a simple hem finish.

The long sleeves comprise a single fabric panel with an inseam, an additional fabric piece at the lower end, measuring 14 cm in height, as well as two triangular gussets joined lengthwise at the armpit. In their lower part, an oblong vertical opening extends from the inseam, measuring 25 cm in height. Black braid adorns the sleeve edge, while zig-zag stitching in the same colour extends further inside. The sleeve lining is made of the saya fabric, yet its stripes are arranged in the opposite direction than those on the sleeve.

The saya is lined with beige cotton fabric. On the right side, a large pocket (height: 32 cm, width: 16 cm) features an opening trimmed with white braid. Higher up on the breast, a small pocket is lined in the upper part with a colourful imported fabric, combining stripes and floral motifs. The lining is discernible on the 6 cm long sickle-shaped pocket opening, which is bordered by fine black braid and zig-zag stitching in the same colour.

Height: 117 cm.

Length of sleeves: 57.5 cm.

Width of sleeves: 15 cm.

Date of entry to the Collection: 10.11.1948

Provenance: Lasa, Pafos – Purchase.

ΜΓ 39

A woman’s sarka of blue felt, decorated with goldwork.

It consists of two front panels, one on each side of the breast, joined to the single back piece through shoulder and side seams.

The sleeves are cut from a single piece of fabric with an inseam that extends to the sides of the garment, reaching down to the hem. They are set in at right angles and their lower end comprises an additional piece of felt, 2 cm tall, featuring an indented edge. This additional section is gathered in folds, held in place by continuous basting stitches. Its upper side is delimited by a band of lace-like goldwork and, further up, by a fine cord of silver(?) thread. The 1 cm-tall goldwork band features continuous inverted arches below a straight braiding. Similar embellishments are found on other locally constructed sarkes.

The garment’s upright collar, measuring 4 cm in height, consists of a separate fabric piece sewn onto the round neckline with a handmade seam. All other garment seams are also made by hand. The collar closes at the base of the neck with a hook-and-eye fastener. A second hook-and-eye, further below, closes the vertical opening extending down the front. The collar border, the front opening and the hem of the garment are trimmed with an appliqué goldwork band, matching that on the sleeves. A fine cord of twisted silver thread(?) further adorns these areas externally.

Elaborate embroidery graces the collar, sleeve ends, entire hem and both sides of the vertical opening. Floral motifs of silver(?) thread and tir-tir (spiral wire) thread in bright gold colour stand out against the blue felt. The embroidery employs satin stitch over padding of cardboard paper, creating a relief  effect. On the collar, a winding branch with leaves and fruit of silver thread stems from a triangle at the centre of the nape and extends symmetrically toward the front opening. The same design is repeated on both sleeves with an added palmette motif crowning its centre. This motif features upright leaves emerging from an elongated horizontal element, filled with an interlace of tir-tir threads within a simple border. Tiny gold-coloured sequins are sewn-on sparsely, using tir-tir thread that passes through a central hole. More sequins survive on the right sleeve, scattered around and in-between the embroidered design.

A similar, yet larger and more enriched palmette motif is depicted at the centre of the back (height: 18 cm). A triple row of tir-tir interlace fills the elongated horizontal element at its centre. Further down, the palmette’s base is flanked by two spirals of leaved branches (one on each side), ending in a multi-petal rosette. At the centre of the flower, an interlace borders four clusters of four or five tir-tir rows arranged in opposite directions. A circular interlace motif of tir-tir emerges upon the blue felt at the triangular base of the palmette. This was once embellished with scattered sequins, most of which do not survive. Two opposite-facing leaved branches extend from the palmette to the front opening, continuing up to the base of the collar on either side of the garment. Each side of the breast is further adorned with an upright schematized branch, emerging from the decoration down at the hem. Each branch boasts leaves and a big central rosette, the petals of which are filled with continuous tir-tir rows. The rosette’s uncovered centre is defined by a tir-tir interlace and adorned with a sequin in the middle. The largest branch leaves of the embroidered decoration are filled with parallel rows or interlaces of tir-tir. Small five-leaved palmettes fill the space below the upright branches, while three-leaved motifs adorn the outer bottom corners of the front opening.

The sarka features a light blue/indigo lining sewn with blue or beige thread. Thick fabric reinforces internally all embroidered areas, including the collar. Although subtle, the reinforcement becomes discernible where the blue cotton lining has worn.

This sarka, namely one of the oldest garments in the Collection, bears a characteristic type of decoration that is rarely met in Cyprus. The neoclassical motifs and embroidery techniques employed evoke the goldwork adornment on luxurious overcoats, which were once part of dress ensembles associated with Hellenic urban centres. The sarka is comparable to overcoats dating back to Queen Amalia’s era, from the mid-19th c. onwards. Given that similar elements –  such as the ready-made lace-like goldwork bands, as well as the light blue/indigo lining – appear on other sarkes within the Collection and in other Cypriot museums, it is considered possible that the sarka was crafted in Cyprus.

Height: 41 cm (including the goldwork band at the bottom).

Width: 50 cm (underarms) 46 cm (at the waist), 36 cm (on the shoulders).

Sleeve length: 47 cm.

Sleeve width: 16 cm.

Date of entry to the Collection: 10.11.1948

Provenance: Goudi, Pafos – Purchase.

ΜΓ 22

Women’s pantaloons of thick loom-woven cotton.

They consist of eight fabric sections. At the centre front and back, two pieces (one on each side)  extend from the waist downward across both legs, tapering from 20 cm at their top to 2.5-3 cm at the hem. Attached to these sections are two more, one across the inner side of each leg, tapering from 12 cm at the top to 4 cm at the hem. The left leg has two successive outer pieces whereas the right leg features a single outer piece. On the right side of the pantaloons, a small added fabric piece extends horizontally under the waist, front and back, across a total length of 23 cm.

Embroidered decoration in red and blue covers the lower part of both legs, externally. The dense (pefkoto) embroidery, in a design known as the karpasitikon (of the Karpasia area), features consecutive lozenges arranged in successive rows. The lozenges enclose smaller ones, while in their side corners’ cut-offs they contain single triangles. The pefkoto embroidery is crowned by a row of korou(d)es [girls] on the left leg and finikou(d)es [palm trees] on the right. Both motifs consist of a lozenge above a vertical line with two opposite-facing oblique projections that may depict leaves or hands. The korou(d)es are rendered with more elongated lozenges of two triangles joined along their base. The white-coloured woven fabric peeks through an uncovered vertical line in the middle.  The korou(d)es crafted with blue yarn feature red-coloured triangle fillings, while for those crafted with red yarn the fillings are blue. The pantaloon legs gather at the bottom.

All fabric sections at the upper part of the garment are folded outwards, forming a hollow hem casing (height: 3-3.5 cm) with a threaded drawstring.

Height: 80 cm.

Maximum width: 72 cm.

Width of leg opening: 21 cm.

Date of entry to the Collection: 26.10.1948

Provenance: Fyti, Pafos – Donation.