Waistcoat no. 89

Waistcoat (Turk. kavuşturma yelek) made of blue and red broadcloth. The front consists of two pieces of blue broadcloth of the same size (7cm wide on the shoulder, 28cm at the broadest part and 16cm at the lower edge) and can be cross-fastened on either side by means of eight plaited buttons made of black twisted silk thread. There are eight button-holes but only two buttons have been preserved, connected inside with a cord in oblique arrangement. The back is also made of two pieces of red broadcloth; in the middle there is a vertical opening 22cm long, with 9 pairs of holes and one more at the top, for fas­tening with laces. The height of the back pieces from the shoulder to the bottom end is 40cm. The width of each piece is 7cm on the shoulder, 20cm at the broadest part, the top of the vertical slit, and 17.5cm at the lower end. Under the opening for the arms there are two side pieces of red velvet cloth, 8.5cm on the upper part and 4cm at the lower end. They are stitched to the front and back piece and the seam is covered with a braid (gaitania turk. kay­tan/gaytan) bordered by twisted threads, orange, black and purple, in the join with the front piece, and simply with twisted threads on the join with the back piece. On either side of the chest there is a vase-shaped outer pocket made of green velvet. The pockets are decorated with the pattern of a stylized tree with a bird on top, formed with twisted gold wire (turk. tel) sewn to them. The birds’ legs are embroidered with purple thread. The waistcoat is lined with white cotton material. A stripe of red broadcloth is used as reinforcement on either side of the front opening. Around the neck and chest open­ing there is a striped piping (turk. fitil) 2cm wide. The front part bears thick applied decoration, one S-shaped motif ending in a blossom or leaf, filled with scrolls or spirals and alternat­ing wickerwork patterns. The chest is adorned with sophisticated patterns, curving floral motifs, wickerwork patterns, lozenges, scrolls etc. Similar decoration is found all around the opening. The back is also richly adorned: on either side of the opening (vertical slit) there is an abstract flower motif with two lozenges, one smaller on the upper part with curving branches on either side ending in leaves or blossoms. The lower lozenge is filled with wickerwork in orange and green, the smaller in orange. The motif continues with a chain motif. On top of the opening there is a central lozenge and chain motif with two con­fronted lions, one on either side. The motifs are made of twisted threads and metal (gold) wire. The lions are filled with embroidery. Their bodies are made of two compartments separated by a twisted metal wire sewn to them. The eye of one lion is preserved and is made of a twisted gold wire forming a spiral. The lions’ tails end in a leaf-shaped pattern filled with embroidery. Similar decorative patterns, especially the motif of the confronted lions on either side of a schematized tree or plant, also appear on waistcoats which form part of tradi­tional costumes of the Greek Cypriots.The confronted lions are common in Greek folk art and have a very long tradition in art in general.