ΜΓ 745
A man’s shirt of white cotton fabric.
Its largest part, not including the upper section back and front, consists of two fabric panels with machine-sewn vertical joints at the sides, beneath the armpits. A low machine-stitched hem extends along the bottom of the shirt. Τhe upper part of the garment, front and back, consists of two additional oblong pieces of double fabric (length: 37.5 cm for the breast piece and 41 cm for the back; height: 18 cm for the breast piece and 12 cm for the back), joined with a machine-made seam along the right shoulder. The seam is overlaid by handmade decorative feather stitch of white thread. On the left shoulder, the open joint closes with three buttons, one of which is placed at the collar stand, over the neckline.
The collar stand consists of a 2 cm tall band, secured with machine stitching along its edges. The collar fall ends in pointed tips at the front (maximum height: 6 cm). When the collar is closed, the tops of its points are 3 cm apart. A second button on the collar stand, sewn on the left of the centre front, is paired to a loop of red thread at the underside of the collar’s left pointed tip. The collar fall is made of double fabric and covered on the inside by consecutive lozenges, 5x3 cm, of red machine-made stitches. Near its outer edges, the collar is also decorated with a handmade stitch of white thread, similar to that on the right shoulder. The outer sides of the collar are trimmed with ready-made machine-stitched white edging, decorated lengthwise with embroidered red motifs, namely lozenges alternating with four-lobe elements. The wavy outer side of the edging is accentuated with red thread.
The breast is covered by a composite floral motif, consisting of a vertical stem with three pairs of opposite-facing leaves and a four-petal flower, crowned with a three-lobe blossom. At the base of the stem there is a multi-petal flower with an upside-down palmette at the bottom. The flower consists of a disk-like centre encircled by eight pointed petals. It may represent a sunflower. From the flower emerge two opposite-facing branches with stems, leaves, rosettes with spear-like petals, and multi-petal flowers similar to the central one. Each branch ends in a pomegranate. Two opposite-facing birds flank the central stem. Embroidered branches of red and white thread border the floral composition on the left and right. All embroidered motifs consist of dense interlaced stitches, creating solid surfaces.
Beneath the breast, tucks cover a four-sided surface, 25.5 cm long and 20 cm high. At the centre and near the edges, a wider double tuck, 3 cm wide, is framed by smaller ones, 0.5 cm wide. All the small tucks are stitched along one of their long sides, whereas on the wide tucks two vertical seams, that form opposite-facing tucks, flank the decorated centre. The decoration consists of curvilinear embroidered motifs made of blanket stitch (continuous wavy line from which tiny vertical straight lines emerge) in red colour. At the central tuck, the wavy motif is interlaced with a similar one of white thread. Three opposite-facing oblique strands of a different stitch, namely feather stitch (the upper and lower strands made of red thread, the central one of white), join the three vertical wavy bands. Beneath the part with the stitched tucks, free pleats extend down to the hem of the chemise.
At the back of the garment, free pleats are formed beneath the horizontal seam of the upper segment. The machine-made joint is accentuated lengthwise by handmade feather stitch of red thread.
The sleeves consist of a single piece of fabric with a machine-made inseam. Along the inner side of each sleeve, an elongated triangular gusset tapers from the armpit towards the wrist (length: 35 cm, maximum width: 10.5 cm). At the extension of the pointed tip of the gusset, the machine-made inseam of the sleeves is followed by a 12 cm long slit at the wrist.
Each sleeve ends in a cuff, 7 cm high, of double fabric (the inner fabric of a different, whiter type). The cuff is covered externally by assymetrical lozenges of red machine-made stitches. The sleeve fabric gathers both above the cuff, and higher, at the top of the shoulders. The vertical joint of the sleeves to the body, again machine-made, is decorated lengthwise with handmade feather stitch of red then white thread. The colours of the stitches alternate in different parts of each sleeve. The vertical sleeve stitches, in combination with horizontal stitches of the same type across the lower end of the breast piece (in white) and the back piece (in red) form a continuous rectangular frame.
The shirt is particularly elaborate with rich embroidery which is rare on traditional shirts. It originates from Asomatos, Kyreneia, and was used as a groom’s shirt in the early 20th century. It used to be a set with vest ΜΓ 744, which bears the date 1915.
Height: 66 cm at the front, 74 cm at the back.
Width: 40 cm on the shoulders, 76 cm at the base.
Sleeve length: 55 cm.
Sleeve width: 28 cm in the upper part, 11 cm around the cuffs.
Date of entry to the Collection: 26.10.1992
Provenance: Asomatos, Kyreneia – Purchased from Karolos Orphanos. It belonged to Vrahimis A.
