gold

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.

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Silver-gilt pendant comprising a chain of spherical filigree beads (toutounia), and a filigree cross. The arms of the cross consist of four drop-shaped elements, soldered to a central rosette-shaped part.The fourth element is connected, through a ring, to the chain, actually to a spherical filigree bead in the middle of the chain, which consists of a series of smaller filigree beads (toutounia).

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Collection E. Mantovani-Astgian