Yeroskipou Folk Art Museum

ΜΓ 146

Women’s pantaloons of loom-woven white cotton fabric. This is an unworn garment, of the same pattern as the preceding one (ΜΓ 387).

The legs, which gather at the bottom with dense hand-sewn pleats, consist of two fabric sections each. The broader one, measuring 40-40.5 cm/41 cm in width, covers the front side and part of the back externally, whereas the other, measuring 18.5-19 cm in width on one leg and 20-20.5 cm on the other, completes the inner part of the back. A rectangular piece of fabric (sides: 36/36.5 cm x 34.5 cm), placed diagonally at the crotch, creates a triangle on either side of the garment. The seams at the joints of this additional piece are bulky, featuring a 0.5-0.7 cm hem.

The 3 cm-tall hem casing across the waist is machine-stitched, with a threaded drawstring.

Height: 70 cm.

Waist width: 61 cm.

Leg width: 30-31 cm in the upper part, 14.5 cm in the lower part.

Date of entry to the Collection: 1978

Provenance: Unknown.

ΜΓ 124

A woman’s long, cream silk (loom-woven koukkoullariko) chemise with short sleeves.

It consists of two half pieces, 40 cm wide, reaching from the front to the back and joined vertically across the middle of both sides. Each piece extends to a short sleeve with a hemless edge. The sleeve inseam carries on under the armpit and extends downwards to the simple hem of the chemise. In the upper part, the round neckline features a low band collar, 1.5 cm high, of double fabric. The opening of the collar, at the centre front, closes with a ready-made mother-of-pearl button, paired to a handmade buttonhole. The opening continues vertically at a height of 32 cm, at the extension of the vertical seam joining the two fabric panels on the front of the chemise. On either side of the vertical opening, the fabric is folded over, forming a more solid placket finish. On the back of the chemise, a pleat at the base of the collar crowns the central vertical seam.

The garment is exclusively machine-made.

Height: 93 cm.

Width: 78 cm at the base.

Sleeve length: 14 cm (from the armpit).

Sleeve width: 18 cm.

Date of entry to the Collection: 1978

Provenance: Yeroskipou, Pafos – Purchase.

ΜΓ 89

A man’s double-breasted vest of cotton alatzia with stripes of different thickness in burgundy, blue, yellow and white. The lining that covers the entire vest on the inside is made of beige cotton fabric.

Each of the two front parts of the garment consists of two fabric panels: the outer panel, that crosses when the vest is closed, is triangular (height: 45-47.5 cm, hypotenuse: 44 cm, base: 17 cm); the inner panel is rectangular, with the curved cut of the armhole in its upper part. The rectangular side panels of the front continue as a single panel at the back, forming the upper part of the back at a height of 27 cm. Lower down, the back is completed with a densely-woven cotton fabric (height: 26.5 cm, width: 42 cm). On either side of the vest, there is a 7 cm long opening. 

An upright reinforced collar, 1.5 cm in height, is decorated with machine stitching of white thread forming consecutive lozenges. The collar is trimmed externally by black cord that reaches a little above the lower edge of the opening (9 cm above the edge). At the triangular opening of the breast, it is externally reinforced by a cord with tiny button-shaped elements. Decorative bands of machine-made stitches, with a zig-zag line between two parallels, extend along the outer end of the rectangular panels and the diagonal side of the triangular panels, at the opening of the vest.

A pocket on the right side is lined internally in the section of the horizontal opening, with a piece of alatzia fabric at a height of 4 cm (pocket height: 16 cm, pocket width: 13 cm, length of external opening: 6 cm). The horizontal opening is decorated with blue-red braid and trimmed with a band featuring a zig-zag line between parallel lines, all made of off-white machine stitches. At the centre of the upper side of the opening, a tri-branched schematized vegetal ornament is also formed with machine stitches.

Red and blue braid also surrounds the armholes. The centre of the back of each opening is decorated with a tassel of frayed braid.

On the bottom edge of the vest, the hem is handmade with blue and white thread, whereas along the armholes and around the opening of the neck, machine stitches may be discerned.

Height: 56 cm.

Width: 31.5 cm on the shoulders, 47 cm at the waist (folded).

Date of entry to the Collection: 1978

Provenance: Theletra, Pafos – Purchase.

ΜΓ 71

Formal foustanin of striped glossy imported fabric with gold-yellow, blue and white-burgundy stripes. The colours differ at the back in that blue outweighs yellow on the gold-yellow stripes.

The upper front of the dress consists of two pieces, one on either side of the breast. The entire back consists of a single piece of off-white cotton fabric. Beige cotton fabric, more sparsely woven, also lines the entire bodice and the long sleeves, except from their edges.

A long oval opening on the breast (height: 30 cm, maximum width: 17 cm), reaches vertically below the breast to the waist, fastening with four hooks, whereas it continues below the waist (total opening height: 24 cm, 8 cm of which up to the waist). On the inside of the dress, short fine strips from the dress fabric have been added to more or less the middle of the oval opening, perhaps intended as repair.

The long sleeves, sewn vertically to the body, consist of a single fabric piece with a joint on the inside of the arm. Two gussets are sewn into each armpit (joint length: 14 cm) for ease of movement. The lower end of the sleeves, featuring a bias-cut, 13 cm long opening, is lined with the same fabric as the dress. The lining would be discernible with turn-up sleeves (lining height: 12 cm).

The wide skirt of the dress consists of four panels, each of them approximately 64 cm wide. The upper part of the skirt, densely gathered all around, is joined to the bodice. The hemline is hand stitched.

A ready-made gold band, featuring a base of thick yellow thread and adorned with fine metallic bands that form consecutive lozenges and trianges, is sewn with a gold-coloured thread to the hem of the skirt, the waist, the breast opening and the opening on the sleeves. The edges of the sleeves and the breast opening are trimmed with a ready-made gold thread piping ribbon, held in place with brown thread. The piping includes a straight sparse plait, upon which rests a curved band forming consecutive arches. Sarkes included in the Collection, worn with this type of dresses, are similarly trimmed. In this particular dress, the sarka was required to cover the back which is made of simple cotton fabric.

In spite of the simple design of the dress, the type of its fabric and its trimmings create the impression of a flamboyant formal garment.

Height: 129 cm (bodice: 39 cm, skirt: 90 cm).

Width: 49 cm on the shoulders, 40 cm at the waist, 124 cm around the hemline.

Length of sleeves: 51 cm.

Width of sleeves: 16-16.5 cm at the upper end, 10 cm at the lower end.

Date of entry to the Collection: 20.4.1953

Provenance: Ktima, Pafos.

ΜΓ 70

Sarka of black felt, adorned with goldwork.

Its front consists of two trapezoid panels, one on each side of the breast (height: 38.5 cm, width: 13 cm in the upper part, 23.5 cm in the lower part), with rounded outer corners at their lower end. An elongated triangular opening is formed centrally from the neckline to the waist. The back of the sarka consists of a single rectangular fabric section (height: 42.5 cm, width: 40 cm on the shoulders, 31 cm at the waist). Hand-sewn black thread seams join the front and back panels on the shoulders and the sides.

The upright collar is made of a separate fabric piece, measuring 4.5 cm in height. It is internally reinforced with different types of fabric in three consecutive layers: beige cotton (beneath), black wool (in-between) and worn fuchsia silk (above). Other than the collar, the sarka is unlined.

The sleeves consist of a single fabric piece with an inseam. Two triangular gussets are added to each armpit, forming a rectangle (length: 15 cm, width: 13.5 cm).  The seam joining the paired gussets is covered by a braid of yellow thread, overlaid with gold-coloured metal thread on the upper side. This braid extends downward across the joint between the back and front pieces, and upward along the sleeve inseam.

A similar double braid trim adorns the hem of the sarka, the collar border, the lower end of the sleeves and the front opening. Along the inner side of the braid, a ready-made appliqué decorative band of braided gold threads (textile threads with a gold-coloured metal or other coating) showcases a double row mesh and projecting loops. This band, which is sewn onto the fabric using yellow thread, adorns the collar border internally, and also extends along its lower side externally.

Both lower front corners of the sarka feature a paisley-shaped decorative motif of intricate curved designs, hand-crafted using couched cords of currently worn gold threads. The latter are secured intermittently with yellow stitches that are visible on the inner side of the sarka. Sparse basting with yellow thread outlines the paisley-shaped motif on the right side of the garment. This likely served as a guide for filling in the motif.

Height: 42.5 cm.

Width: 40 cm on the shoulders, 31 cm at the waist.

Sleeve length: 48.5 cm.

Sleeve width: 15.5 cm in the upper part, 13.5 cm in the lower part.

Date of entry to the Collection: 20.4.1953

Provenance: Ktima, Pafos.

ΜΓ 69

Sarka of blue felt, decorated with goldwork.

The front consists of two fabric panels, one on each side of the breast, securing with a hook-and-eye closure at their lower end. The single-piece back is joined to these panels via shoulder and side seams. A separate upright collar, 5 cm tall, reveals an inner reinforcement beneath the worn beige lining. The sarka’s lining is made of imported fabric with woven leaves and acorns.

On the inner left side, an oblong piece of the sarka fabric extends above the lining. This addition forms a concealed pocket with a vertical opening close to the breast opening, to accommodate the right hand. The pocket opening is hemmed and trimmed with a twisted gold thread cord, featuring an s-shaped projection in the upper part.

The sleeves, sewn vertically to the shoulders, consist of a single piece of fabric with an inseam. Two triangular gussets are joined lengthwise at each armpit (joint length: 7 cm).

The collar border, breast opening, entire hem, sleeve edges and inseams, and side seams are adorned with double braids of silk thread in gold, with an upper side coating of gold-coloured metal thread.

Couched cords of gold thread are used for the remaining decoration. A branch with schematized opposite-facing broad leaves or fruit, each ending in a curvilinear projection, extends along the entire collar surface. This motif is perhaps depicting a vine.

A broad band showcasing schematized floral designs (curvilinear motifs and spirals) adorns the breast opening, hem, and sleeve edges. An outline of basting stitches extends along its inner side. The embroidered design becomes simpler around the neckline, ending at the back of the neck in a continuous zig-zag line with circles in-between.

A large paisley-shaped motif springs from the lower outer corner of both front panels. Its widest part features two large opposite-facing spirals, while the rest of its surface is composed of smaller spirals and curvilinear motifs. The composite outline of the paisley comprises rows of cords internally and dense continuous loops externally.

On both sides of the vertical side seams, a corner ornament extending from the decorative hem band upward resembles a schematized cypress tree with spirals at its base. A simpler vertical motif of loops and circles, crowned by a curved cord, projects from the decorative band at the centre of the back.

Height: 35.5-36 cm.

Waist width: 38 cm.

Sleeve length: 46 cm.

Sleeve width: 16 cm in the upper part, 14 cm in the lower part.

Date of entry to the Collection: 23.5.1952

Provenance: Ktima, Pafos.

ΜΓ 40

Long foustanin, sleeveless, from striped silk-cotton imported fabric with alternating broad and narrow vertical stripes in green, brown, beige-yellow, lilac and orange. In the Registry of the Yeroskipou Museum it is reported that the foustanin was worn with a sarka, whereas its fabric is identified, with a question mark, as “mecidiyes” (for this particular type of fabric, see Hadjittofi and Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou 2024,...) The design of the fabric evokes the traditional loom-woven alatzia, and it may have been chosen for a foustanin with a traditional design precisely because of this resemblance.

The garment consists of a bodice and a skirt, joined around the waist. The upper part of the back (height: 15 cm) and the two front panels are made of a single fabric piece. The lower part of the back consists of a white cotton fabric, of the type that lines the entire upper part of the foustanin. All the joints on the bodice as well as the lining are hand-sewn.

An oval opening on the breast reaches vertically below the waist (total opening height: 16.5 cm, 10 cm of which below the waistline). The vertical opening fastens with two hooks, one at the middle and the other at the top of the opening. An upright collar at the back of the neck is made of an added band of fabric of the same type, with horizontal stripes. Blue cotton trimming band, hand-sewn with yellow thread, outlines the edges of the oval opening and the collar.

The generous skirt gathers at the waist in small pleats. A reinforcing band of lining, which also gathers like the skirt, has been added all around the waist, along the internal joint of the bodice to the skirt. The skirt consists of six panels, 42 cm wide, joined with handmade seams. A reinforcing band (fasa) of the same white cotton fabric as the lining, 4 cm wide, has been added to the inside of the hem. The edges of the skirt, both internally and externally, feature a trimming band finish of three different fabrics: blue, red and one of colourful stripes. Apart from its decorative function, the trimming band protected the hemline from fraying.

Albeit not skillfully sewn, the dress appears elegant. It is combined with a sarka, which explains the use of white fabric in the lower part of the back, intended to be covered. The fabric of the dress has worn in several places.

Height: 128 cm (bodice: 34 cm, skirt: 94 cm).

Width: 40 cm on the shoulders, 39.5 cm at the waist, 114 cm around the hemline.

Date of entry to the Collection: 10.11.1948

Provenance: Goudi, Pafos – Purchase.

ΜΓ 37

A man’s double-breasted velvet vest, lined with beige cotton fabric.

The back consists of a piece of brown velvet fabric. Another two oblong trapezoid pieces of brown velvet are found on the sides, one each, beneath the armholes, whereas on the front, the two panels that form the sides of the breast are made of green velvet with weaved-in relief floral patterns in black, bright green and fuchsia. The floral patterns alternate in size and cover the entire surface in combination with leaves. At the centre of the flowers, green and fuchsia are used interchangeably. On the armholes and on the sides of the garment, the selvedge of the green velvet fabric is discernible with colourful vertical stripes. It appears that in this case the selvedge is used as decorative band.

The garment closes on either side. Four buttonholes on each side of the bias-cut opening are defined by gold-coloured braid with metallic threads in the upper part, and a base of golden-yellow yarn. The inner edges of the buttonholes are decorated with small tassels of the same yarn. The spherical hanging buttons, of black silk(?) thread  around an off-white fabric core are fixed to a bundle of black threads, sewn to the inside of the garment in five places.

A vase-shaped pocket on the right of the vest, on the side, consists of red felt in the upper part and brown velvet in the lower part, without inner lining. The pocket is trimmed with black braid and, on either side, with two twisted cords of yellow, red and black threads. In the upper corners of the pockets, the cords form small projections, and a small tassel at the pointed bottom end. A cord of the same type extends horizontally, at the centre of the pocket, defining the two different types of fabric.

On the front, the vest is decorated with gold-coloured braids, double or triple, of the same type as those on the buttonholes. A triple braid decorates the bias-cut opening in the upper part of the breast, where a fine cord extends lengthwise externally and, folded over, forms tiny loops. In the same section of the breast opening, purple fabric is used over a second beige fabric and, further below, a sewn-in padding of light green cardboard above the inner lining of the vest. On the purple fabric, an interlace pattern along the circumference and, further inside, consecutive spirals are formed by a cord fixed with numerous stitches. The cord is made of yarn, coated with metallic thread.  Through the couched embroidery patterns, the purple fabric may be discerned as base. This fabric and its couched decoration survive on the left side of the opening but only partially. Traces of the non-surviving spirals are discernible in the lower part of the purple fabric.

The armholes, the seams on the shoulders and the back of the neck opening, as well as the joints of the two side panels with the front panels are accentuated with black braid and a single or double cord, of the same type as that of the pocket. A braid externally and two rows of cords further inside also decorate the bottom edge of the side panels and of the back panel, and extend along a vertical opening, of a height of 23.5 cm, at the centre of the back. The opening closes with a bundle of four black threads, which criss-crosses through small loops formed by the black braid at the edge of the opening.

On the inner side of the garment, the lining consists of different panels of off-white cotton fabric. The bias-cut opening is lined with additional black woollen fabric. Around the neck, the vest is reinforced with a bright green ribbon, 2 cm wide, that advances into the upper part of the bias-cut opening.

Height: 41.5 cm.

Width: 28 cm on the shoulders, 40 cm at the waist.

Date of entry to the Collection: 12.11.1948

Provenance: Kelokedara, Pafos– Purchase.

ΜΓ 23

A beige cotton pantaloon edging, rectangular with the upper corners cut off.

The edging’s dense (pefkoto) embroidery comprises three distinct designs, all in blue and red. The central, largest section (length: 35.5 cm, height: 22.5 cm) showcases a design made of lozenges, with single smaller lozenges in their corners. All motifs have a blue outline and a red filling, with single tiny blue lozenges at their centre. The central section is flanked by another two, one on either side. Each edge section displays a different embroidery design. The one on the right (dimensions: 10x9.5x22.5x20 cm) features two rows of successive blue lozenges intersected by a blue line. Between these rows, another row of lozenges in red with a blue centre is intersected by a continuous red line. The outermost sides feature half lozenges in red with a blue filling. On the left section (dimensions: 12x16x12x21.5 cm), continuous lozenges with a blue outline and a red filling contain two tiny blue lozenges each. On the two longer sides, the embroidery ends in half lozenges.

A blue braid finish survives, sewn along 10 cm on the upper left side of the central section. The other three sides preserve plain fabric without embroidery. The widest plain fabric side likely served as the gathering part of the pantaloons.

At the back, the raw edges of the threads used for the handmade embroidery hang loose.

Height: 25 cm.

Length: 58 cm.

Date of entry to the Collection: 26.10.1948

Provenance: Fyti, Pafos – Donation.

ΜΓ 18

Sarka of black felt, adorned with goldwork.

The front comprises two fabric panels, one on each side of the breast (width: 13 cm in the upper part and 19 cm at the waist). These are joined to the single back panel (height: 39.5 cm, width: 37.5 cm in the upper part and 32 cm at the waist) via shoulder and side seams. The collar is made of a separate piece of fabric, 3.5 cm tall. The sarka fastens with a hook-and eye closure at the bottom, creating an elongated V-shaped opening.

The sleeves, joined vertically to the body, consist of a single fabric piece with an inseam. Two triangular gussets, joined lengthwise, have been added at each armpit (joint length: 19 cm).

The faded blue cotton lining is overlaid with added sections of red fabric, creating a triangle across both sides of the front opening (width: 10 cm at the waist). A band of the same fabric also lines the collar. All seams are handmade. 

A double braid of yellow silk thread with an upper side coating of gold-coloured metal thread borders the collar, extends to the breast opening and the hem, and also trims the sleeve edges. The side seams, continuing along the sleeves, are adorned with a single braid. At the base of the collar, a single braid delimits the neckline.

The garment’s edges are further trimmed with a broad, ready-made appliqué band of goldwork. This band features a mesh pattern at its base and continuous arches in the upper part, each crowned with three small loops. Yellow thread secures the band at intervals. A finer, ready-made band of lace-like goldwork edges the breast opening and the hem of the garment, and also adorns the collar base.

A schematised paisley-shaped floral motif is featured in the two lower outer corners of the front panels. This motif extends upward to form a fine branch with a two-pronged spiral edge. The cord used for the decoration is stitched at dense intervals with gold-brown thread.

Height: 36.5 cm.

Width: 36.5 cm at the waist, 37 cm on the shoulders.

Sleeve length: 42-43 cm (the left sleeve is bigger). 

Sleeve width: 14.5 in the upper part and 14 cm in the lower part.

Date of entry to the Collection: 26.10.1948

Provenance: Goudi, Pafos – Donation.