fez

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.

Fessin (fez), a cap made of red felt with a thick tassel of black silk. Around the middle of the fez there are sewn-on small silk flowers.

Private collection, Larnaca.

Dark red female fez, timeworn in many places. A long tassel made of black silk threads passes through the centre of the top and is then secured externally. The fez supplemented the female urban dress, while at the same time it was one of the basic complementary elements of the male attire. In 18th and 19th centuries property lists of deceased persons from Larnaca and Nicosia, fezzes imported from the Barbary Coast, namely from North African countries (Tunisia, Algeria, Maroco), are recorded as parpareshika. Fezzes were also locally made. Dimensions: Height: 18 cm. Diameter: 30 cm.

A sketch by D’Oulevay depicts the blocking of a fez with a mould, at a fez production workshop in Nicosia at the end of the 19th century (Deschamps 1897, III fig. 171).

Women’s fez of red felt, without lining. It is paired with a small white headscarf (CMLE 2116/9). The fez has two black tassels of silk thread, one short and one long. The short tassel is secured radially to the top of the fez, where it forms the tepeliki. Its fringes fall all around, covering the rest of the surface and are secured with two rows of stitches. The second tassel, a long dangling flokkos, falls to the side and reaches the shoulder. On the other side of the fez, a white headscarf of georgette material is attached, decorated all around with pipilla, fine needle lace, sewn with golden thread and green thread. In the four corners, there is a rudimentary decoration of tiny gold sequins secured with green thread.

Fez dimensions: height 12 cm., diameter 14 cm., tassel length: 63 cm.

Purchase price: 35 drachmas on 28-04-1956.

Women’s fez of red felt, without lining. It has two black tassels of silk thread, one short and one long. The short tassel forms the tepeliki at the top of the fez. Its fringes fall all around, covering the rest of the surface, and are secured with two rows of stitches. The second tassel, a long dangling flokkos (tassel), falls to the side and reaches the shoulder.

Fez dimensions: height 14 cm., diameter 14 cm., tassel length: 48 cm.

Purchase price: 149 drachmas on 27-12-1956.

Women’s fez of red felt, without lining. It has two black tassels with silk thread fringes, one short and one long. The short tassel starts from the centre on the top and forms the tepeliki, which covers the upper part of the fez. Its fringes fall all around, covering the fez, onto which it is secured with two rows of stitches. The second tassel, a long dangling tassel, flokkos, of 37 cm, falls on the side and reaches the shoulder. The perimeter of the fez is decorated with a band of golden-yellow velvet with fine embroidery consisting of continuous spirals with flowers and small leaves in between. The band closes by overlapping its edges above the forehead. The four edges are slightly broader than the band itself and are decorated with tulip-type flowers, stems and leaves, also embroidered with golden thread. The overlap of the ends of the band is covered with a round piece of the same velvet, embroidered with an eight-petalled rosette. All pieces are decorated all around with handmade golden-thread lace. This example can be compared with the decorative band of a fez in the Benaki Museum (item no. EE2571), a red velvet band embroidered with golden thread and pearls that form a continuous branch with leaves and flowers. The band, measuring 58 cm. in length and 3.5 cm. in width, has a tongue-shaped termination at one end (12.2 x 6 cm) and is adorned with lace edging (pipilla) of golden thread (Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou 1996, 150, fig. 128).

Dimensions: Fez: height 9 cm., diameter 17 cm.

Overlap of the fez band edges: height 15 cm., width 14 cm.

Central circular element: diameter 3.5 cm.

Selected Pieces of Women's Costumes

Women's red fez made of felt, without lining. It features two tassels made of black silk threads, one short and the other long. The short tassel starts from the centre of the top and forms the tepeliki, which covers the upper part of the fez. Its fringes fall all around, covering the fez, onto which it is secured with two rows of stitches. The second tassel, a long dangling tassel, flokkos, falls on the side and reaches shoulder height. The fez is paired with the white handkerchief 2145.

Dimensions: height 12 cm., diameter 14 cm., tassel length 63 cm.

Purchase Price: 149 drachmas.