Type | Embroidery |
---|---|
Material | Cotton |
Production method | Needle lace |
Production process | Handicraft |
Place of origin | Pano Lefkara, Cyprus |
Lefkara laces or Lefkaritika | |
---|---|
Country | Cyprus |
Reference | 00255 |
Region | Europe and North America |
Inscription history | |
Inscription | 2009 (4th session) |
List | Representative |
Lefkaritika or Lefkara Lace is a handmade lace from Pano Lefkara Cyprus. [1] Notable characteristics are the hemstitch, satin stitch fillings, needlepoint edgings, white, brown, ecru colours and geometric intricate patterns. [2] in 2009, this traditional craft of lace-making was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. [1]
Lefkaritika is the characteric type of embroidery art in Cyprus, dating back to at least the fourteenth century. [1] It falls under the category of white embroidery art of Cyprus. It is the evolution of an older type, called "asproploumia". The main stitches of "asproploumia" survived in the newest type of Lefkaritika. New stitches and motifs are added depending on the skill and creativity of the embroideress. Lefkaritika soon reached a higher level of quality, because of the competition between women, since they were considered to be a center piece of a dowry. Each girl had to have an extended collection ready for exhibition on her wedding day. This way a lot of the traditional elements were passed from mother to daughter. Many women practiced embroidery as a profession as well. Women embroideresses in Pano Lefkara, called "ploumarisses" organised their production from home. Men from Lefkara, called "kentitarides", were merchants and they traveled across Europe and Scandinavia. [3] According to tradition, in 15th century Leonardo da Vinci visited Cyprus and took a Lefkara Lace back to Italy with him, which today decorates Duomo Cathedral in Milan. [4]
The greatest centers of production used to be Pano Lefkara and Kato Lefkara villages. Today these embroideries are manufactured all over Cyprus, especially in villages, Kato Drys, Vavla, Vavatsinia, Ora, Choirokoitia, Skarinou, Dali and Athienou.
The first Lefkara Lace was made from the local white cotton fabric produced in Cyprus. A combination of stitches and cuts is used. The large embroideries called "tagiades" are added to "dantela venis" ("Venice Lace"), "pittota", "gyroulota", "liminota" patterns. Their name comes from the Italian " Punto Tagliato ", a kind of a cut design popular in Italy during the 16th century, According to the Cyprus Handicraft Service the different motifs for Lefkara Lace add to more than 650. [3]
The most characteristic pattern in Lefkara Lace is "potamoi" ("rivers"). They made from triangular zig-zags, called "kamares" ("arcs").
Cross-stitch is a form of sewing and a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. The stitcher counts the threads on a piece of evenweave fabric in each direction so that the stitches are of uniform size and appearance. This form of cross-stitch is also called counted cross-stitch in order to distinguish it from other forms of cross-stitch. Sometimes cross-stitch is done on designs printed on the fabric ; the stitcher simply stitches over the printed pattern. Cross-stitch is often executed on easily countable fabric called aida cloth whose weave creates a plainly visible grid of squares with holes for the needle at each corner.
Assisi embroidery is a form of counted-thread embroidery based on an ancient Italian needlework tradition in which the background is filled with embroidery stitches and the main motifs are outlined but not stitched. The name is derived from the Italian town of Assisi where the modern form of the craft originated.
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Korean embroidery techniques and artifacts have a long history, but there is the most evidence from the Joseon Dynasty, after the 14th century in Korea. This article talks about the history, styles, preservation, artists, and examples of screens, costumes, and domestic wares of this exacting and beautiful art form.
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Pano Lefkara is a village on the island of Cyprus famous for its lace, known as lefkaritika in and silver handicrafts. The village takes its name from the white of its silica and limestone: Lefkara is derived from a combination of the Greek words "lefka" and "ori". It has been listed among "The 30 most beautiful towns in Europe" by the Japanese Association of Travel Agents.
Piña is a traditional Philippine fiber made from the leaves of the pineapple plant. Pineapples are indigenous to South America but have been widely cultivated in the Philippines since the 17th century, and used for weaving lustrous lace-like luxury textiles known as nipis fabric. The name is derived from Spanish piña, meaning "pineapple".
Cutwork or cut work, also known as punto tagliato in Italian, is a needlework technique in which portions of a textile, typically cotton or linen, are cut away and the resulting "hole" is reinforced and filled with embroidery or needle lace.
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Azerbaijani carpet is a traditional carpet (rug) made in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani carpet is a handmade textile of various sizes, with a dense texture and a pile or pile-less surface, whose patterns are characteristic of Azerbaijan's many carpet-making regions. Traditionally, the carpets were used in Azerbaijan to cover floors, decorate interior walls, sofas, chairs, beds and tables.
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Croatian national costume, also called as Croatian traditional clothing or Croatian dress, refers to the traditional clothing worn by Croats living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, with smaller communities in Hungary, Austria, Montenegro, and Romania. Since today Croats wear Western-style clothing on a daily basis, the national costumes are most often worn with connection to special events and celebrations, mostly at ethnic festivals, religious holidays, weddings, and by dancing groups who dance the traditional Croatian kolo, or circle dance.
Lacemaking in Croatia is a tradition dating back to the Renaissance when lacemaking began spreading throughout the Mediterranean and continental Europe. Throughout the years, Croatian lace has become notable for its unique patterns and designs. In 2009, UNESCO recognised lacemaking in Croatia as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
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