Black and red

Inv. no. 224: Fez made of red felt, covered externally with a tassel of black, silk threads affixed radially to the top of the cap, forming concentric circles with fringes all around. Α second, thick, dangling tassel falls to the shoulder. The double-tasselled fez was typical of Cyprus. It was part of the urban women’s festive, “Amalia” costume, and its decoration was completed with the fiora, a garland of flowers made of pearls, gold and silk threads. A fez bearing such decoration is preserved in the National Historical Museum of Athens (Cypriot Costumes, 1999, 88, fig. 57).

Dimensions: Internal diameter of the fez: 18 cm. Top (tepeliki): 16.5 cm. Tassel length: 30 cm.

ΜΓ 435

A man’s double-breasted vest made of black velvet on the front, red cotton at the back, and lined with thick, beige loom-woven cotton fabric.

Each front part, of black velvet, consists of two fabric panels: the two outer panels that cross to close are of a triangular shape (height: 34.5 cm, hypotenuse 39.5 cm, base: 20 cm), while the other panels complete the front parts as they reach beneath the armpit. The back of the vest consists of a single piece of red cotton fabric.

A low upright collar (maximum height: 2 cm) is made of double velvet. The triangular opening at the breast and the collar are defined by black braid that has frayed and, externally, by a black cord which, with sewing, forms consecutive kamaroues (low arches) and loops at intervals. Decorative bands from a simple handmade herringbone cross-stitch extend around the neck, along the bias-cut front opening, on the bottom edge of the vest, on the armholes and along the seams joining the front panels. Cross-stitches and straight lines from consecutive stitches that define them lengthwise are made of colourful threads in fuchsia, green, yellow and white. Along the collar, a fuchsia stitch forms a zig-zag line.

On the right side, beneath the armpit, a vase-shaped pocket is formed, of silk light-blueish fabric in the upper part and blue fabric below. Both fabrics survive partially, only on their edges, exposing the beige cotton lining. The pocket is defined all-round by a double black cord forming spirals at the corners. Further inside, there extends a row of herringbone cross-stitch in fuchsia, defined internally by continuous green stitch. A second row of white cross-stitch also follows the shape of the outline in the lower part of the pocket. A horizontal band of green cross-stitch extends along the joint of the two different fabrics of the pocket.

On the right side of the vest, internally, two buttons in diagonal arrangement correspond to two buttonholes on the left side. Another two, much smaller buttons on the left side, externally, do not correspond to buttonholes.

On the back of the vest, a vertical opening, 18 cm long, closes with a brick-red ribbon crossing through loops of black braid, that runs along the bottom edge of the vest and extends to the vertical opening. Off-white herringbone cross-stitch  extends to the back side of the armholes, to the bottom edge of the vest and to the vertical opening of the back.

Height: 39 cm.

Width: 23.5 cm on the shoulders, 38 cm at the waist (folded).

Date of entry to the Collection: 25.10.1985

Provenance: Lefkonoiko – Donation by the family of Yiannakos Hadjisavvas.

The costume of the woman of Karpasia with routzetti comprises the following dress items: a skirt called routzetti, the ypokamison (chemise), the sarka (sleeved jacket), the headdress consisting of two scarves. There is a belt with bucles around the waist.

The heavily pleated skirt, called routzetti, is made of woven cotton material dyed a dark red colour, and of a crinkled texture. The chemise is made of striped silk material woven on the loom in a natural colour. The edge of the neck, the opening on the front, and the sleeve hems are trimmed with silk pipilla (lace), forming an elaborate garland of flowers.

The sarka is made of black felt. Is fastens by means of four hooks and-eyes set vertically beneath the breast, leaving a deep opening. The narrow sleeves flare at the bottom. The hems of all the openings are trimmed with garland consisting of twisted gold braid threads worked into a floral motif, spirals, volutes, and plaits, with border of a continuous scroll. The scroll is a decorative feature found in many Cypriot sarkes, of which it is a characteristic finish. The sarka is lined with white cotton material, and the sleeves with red.

The headdress consists of a square cotton kerchief which has black printed floral decoration against a white ground and a border around the four edges of fine papilla (lace) and sequins. The outer kerchief has multi-coloured printed decoration on a light red ground. The breast is adorned with a myrmidi consisting of thin chains and a gilt silver filigree cross with toutounia.

The female black podines (boots) have a small heel and pointed toes. The heel, which consists of several layers of leather, is fastened on by small iron nails, and the sole is attached by iron and wooden nails. On the stitching at the sides there is an additional strip of leather of the same colour, and two leather loops are sewn to the tops with white cotton thread. The podines come up to the middle of the shins. Their only decorative feature is the white cotton stitching around the heel and three rows of fine stitching, two straight and one wavy, on the finish at the top.

Fez made of red felt turned inside out. The fez is adorned with a black silk tassel that entirely covers it. Starting from the top, this tassel is sewn by hand with stitches forming concentric circles and creating a tepeliki (turk. tepe = hill, summit) on top of the head. Another long tassel made of black silk threads hangs down the right side.

Photograph of Osman Karahasan, born in 1902 and still living in 1994. It was taken in the studio of an anony­mous Greek photographer, most probably in Famagusta, in the year 1921. The photograph was sent to the fiancée of Osman as a souvenir. The young man stands in front of an artificial, painted background which depicts a landscape with palm trees. In his right hand he holds a folding kırma baston (walking stick), while the elbow is resting on a corner table, the front side of which bears an elaborate relief decoration showing a mask of a lion’s head with open mouth. On the table is a flow­erpot decorated with pie-crust garlands and plastic animals, a rare example of a type of pottery which was made exclusively in Varoshia. Osman has short hair and moustache, and wears a plain Ottoman fes (fez, turk. Osmanlı durulla fes). His loom-woven gömlek (shirt) is made of silk (sadakor) which forms vertical wrinkles in the weaving (due to partly looser weft); around the neck, under the collar, he wears a kırmızı mendil (red kerchief). The dark-coloured jacket is of western style and has a silver pin on the collar; a silk handkerchief shows in the left breast pocket. The şalvar (pleated breeches) are made of broadcloth and close just below the knees, where they meet the long çorap (stockings). Along the sides the şalvar (breeches) are decorated with applied black braids which form curvilinear patterns on a light, most probably light blue background. Origi­nally such şalvar (pleated breeches) were matched with a similarly decorated waistcoat, also made of blue broadcloth. The çorap (stockings) are white and decorated with lozenge (lokumlu) patterns. The kundura (shoes, turk. kuntura) are also white (beyaz) and provided with high heels. Around his waist is a loom-woven guşak (sash, turk. kuşak) with a silk kese (purse) hidden in it.