Felt

Inv. no. 216: Short women's jacket made of lilac velvet, richly decorated with twisted cord or braid (terzidiki) embroidery. The jacket consists of seven pieces: the back part, almost triangular with a sharp narrowing towards the bottom, two front pieces, and two side pieces under the sleeves, which are joined with a double gold braid. Gold braid generally covers the seams and edges and also forms part of the decoration of the back and the sleeves. The central pattern on the back is a tall, stylised floral motif with spirals, rosettes and small leaves, usually interpreted as the tree of life. It is framed by two peacocks with their heads turned backwards. The same peacocks, a symbol of excellence and beauty, with long tails that extend into spiral motifs, are also embroidered onto the two front pieces. The decoration is characterised by movement, expressed by the prominent curves in the rendering of the birds and the diversity of the spiral motifs which repeat selected elements of the principal floral pattern in the complimentary decoration. The jacket is lined with printed fabric featuring paisley designs in prominent colours. Yellow/gold fabric is used as lining in the sleeves. This jacket differs from the Cypriot sarka, its cut and decoration being similar to that of the peseli, the late 19th-early 20th century women’s festive and bridal waistcoat of Corfu. The embroidery was done by specialised craftsmen, the terzides, who originated principally from the mountainous areas of Greece and provided with their embroidered dress items the Balkan regions. Their embroidery, characterised by consistency of style, was done with chrysogaitania or chartzia, gold thread twisted into fine cords, and secured with stitches onto the fabric. While this jacket is clearly an imported item, it could easily be worn in place of the Cypriot sarka, as a luxurious addition to formal attire (for similar examples see Theotoki 1994, 84-85, and Zora 1994, 125 and 23 for the terzidiki embroidery).

In Cyprus as elsewhere, the lilac colour, as well as the black or blue, were colours used in formal costume.  

This jacket belonged to Mariou Karydi-Pieraki from the Ionian islands, great-grandmother of Zeno Pierides.

Dimensions: Height: 41.25 cm. Shoulder width: 42.5 cm. Lower edge width: 32 cm. Sleeve length: 51 cm and width: 17 cm and 12 cm at the ends.

Inv. no. 215: Women’s sarka (waist jacket) made of black felt, with a low upright collar and long sleeves sewn vertically onto the body. The back consists of a single piece. At the front, two separate pieces fasten low, at the middle of the waist, forming a deep V-shaped opening. An additional gusset under each armpit provides ease of movement. The edges of the garment are trimmed with sewn-on gold bands, while a paisley motif decorates the bottom corners of the two front pieces, at the middle of the waist. The seam of the sleeves is accentuated with gold braid. The sarka is lined with blue fabric. This type of jacket is typical of Cyprus and was part of women’s formal costume in urban centres during the 19th century. It was soon adopted in rural areas, where it survived into the 20th century as festive and bridal costume. The sarka no. 215 is comparable to similar samples, such as one in the collection of Ino Stavridou-Hadjipavlou, in Limassol (Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou 1996, 137, fig. 122).

Dimensions: Height 40 cm. Width: 40 cm. Sleeve length: 44.5 cm, width: 15 cm and 13 cm at the sleeve edge. Height of collar: 4.5 cm.

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 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 21

A man’s double-breasted vest, made of black felt and velvet.

The front consists of two panels of felt and an oblong, trapezoid panel of velvet on each side. The back is formed by a single piece of velvet. The joints of the front panels to the sides are covered by brown/black braid, framed by two cords of twisted threads in various colours (yellow, red and brown/black). Similar finish is discernible on the armholes and also on the bottom edge of the back and side panels. Rows of braids adorn the contour of the neckline and the front felt panels. Low consecutive freestanding arches of fine black cord extend along the bias-cut opening with tiny loops in-between. Much denser, consecutive loops are formed in the lower section of the bias-cut opening, and continue for a short length along the bottom horizontal edge.

The vest has a deep oval opening at the breast. Each front felt panel has at the diagonal end an oblique row of seven buttonholes and, on a second oblique row, on the inside, seven black spherical buttons of beige fabric core, lined with fine and twisted black silk cords. All buttonholes are defined by a braid on the inside and two cords on the outside. Small tassels are created on the free ends of the cords. The buttons are fixed to a thick, beige braided cord, sewn at intervals with black thread on the inside of the vest.

In the upper section of the breast panels (at the opening of the neck) the vest is adorned with dense, curvilinear couched embroidery of black cords (double twisted thread) in elaborate designs that give the impression of knit construction. The mat pattern is edged with rows of cords that follow the shape of the contour. On the upper side, between the rows of cords, a strip of running spirals is interjected.

Lower, on the right side of the breast, a decorative pattern is formed with twisted cords in green, orange, burgundy and blue. It consists of a rectangular pattern at the centre, framed above and below by small vertical and horizontal spirals. Further down, a vase-shaped pocket may be discerned (height: 10 cm, width: 8.5 cm), the upper part of which is made of green felt and the lower part of black velvet. The pocket is trimmed with brown/black braid, framed on each side by a twisted cord of orange, brown/black and yellow threads. In the upper part of the pocket, the cords extend to hook-shaped projections. A braid and cords of the same type form a horizontal division that separates the upper part of the pocket from the lower part. Above and below the division, a thicker twisted cord forms a zig-zag line with small loops on the tops. The pointed end in the lower part of the pocket is joined with the side seam to which the pocket is sewn.

On the back, at a height of 21 cm, a vertical opening is formed. It is fastened with thick cord, which criss-crosses through metallic eyelets and is fastened in the lower part. The cord terminates at spherical elements, identical to the buttons. The vertical opening and its readjustment with the use of the cord allows better fitting of the garment to the body. The bottom edge of the back and the entire opening are trimmed with fine cords, orange and green, that interlace to shape consecutive lozenges with spiral patterns on their tops. The ornament rests on two rows of double cord, one multi-coloured (green [?], orange and yellow), and the other light blue. At the top of the vertical opening there rests a schematized decorative pattern in orange, blue and green. The pattern includes a central lozenge that extends upwards into an interlace and downwards to two pairs of curvilinear, leaf-shaped patterns. The border of the composite ornament is formed by a double cord, orange and green. The lozenge is covered with mat filling, whereas the rest of the patterns have a simple satin stitch.

Inside, the vest is lined with white cotton fabric. Along the opening at the neck and breast there extends a reinforcing band of ready-made fabric with coloured stripes lengthwise, yellow, black and pink. Lower, on the bias-cut sides of the front panels, where the buttonholes are found, there is a vertical strap of the same black felt.

The vest is quite heavily used. A small piece of felt is missing from its front, exposing the cotton lining.

Height 42 cm.

Width: 40.5 cm under the armpits, 33 cm at the waist.

Date of entry to the Collection: 26.10.1948

Provenance: Kathikas, Pafos – Donation.

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 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.

A gold-embroidered sarka made of dark blue felt. It is open at the front and has a short collar around the neck. The sleeves are long and straight, with triangular insets of cloth (pomanika) giving width to the underarms. The jacket is decorated with gold-embroidered floral patterns, an elaborate combination of symmetrical spiralling branches with leaves and stylized flower ornaments. On both sides of the front part there is a big, lahouri-shaped stylized composite floral motif with a rosette in its centre. The fine, intricate embroidery, undoubtedly the work of a talented craftsman, decorates the cuffs, the neck collar, the front opening and the hemline of the jacket. The decoration is completed with a thin golden braid, which forms a borderline all around the edges. The lining of the sarka is made of a cotton cloth in light blue colour.   Geroskipou Folk Art Museum (inv. no. 39).

A sarka, woman’s jacket made of felt in dark blue colour. It has a deep opening at the front and, in contrast to most other examples, this sarka is long enough to reach below the waist; at its lower part the opening closes with five small plaited buttons, and below them there is an extension of the right front, which overlaps the left lower part and closes there with one button.  The back and the front part of the sarka are made of a single piece of cloth, while for the cross-over two other small pieces (16x14 cm) have been added on the front. Furthermore, two small loxes (gores) have been set into the sides of the sarka for width, and for the same purpose there is an opening of 8 cm in each side. The sleeves are long and vertically sewn on the body. On the inner side of their lower part there is a long slit, through which one can see the lining; it is made of a fabric with small flower patterns on a dark background, and covers only the lower part of the sleeves, while the rest of the jacket is lined with common beige cotton cloth. The underarms of the sleeves have additional pomanika, triangular insets that give width, thus facilitating the movements. The opening at the front, the seams and the edges of the sleeves have sewn-on gold decoration. Geroskipou Folk Art Museum (inv. no. 17).