This lovely cloth, TRC 2021.2068, was recently acquired by the TRC in Leiden. It came with a label: ‘19th- Cyprus – Italian influence’. Research in books and on the internet helped me to find more background information.
Ill. 1. Tasseled short edge of Lefkara lace cloth from Cyprus, 19th century (TRC 2021.2068). In the centre is the insert between the two lengths that make up the complete cloth
It is in fact a wonderful example of what is called Lefkara lace, or in Greek: Lefkaritika. It is a form of embroidered lace, with pulled thread work and satin stitch details. The name is derived from Lefkara, a village on Cyprus. It is a very distinctive style of embroidery with a long history. Locally it is known as tayiadha (compare Italian punto tagliato).
Ill. 2. Schematic drawing of the Lefkara lace cloth in the TRC Collection (TRC 2021.2068).
The Italian influence dates back to the 15th-16th centuries when Cyprus was controlled by the Republic of Venice. Lefkara lace is recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO (click here).There is a long introduction to Lefkara lace in the book Lefkara Lace Embroidery, by Androula Hadjiyiasemi (1987).
The cloth is made from a very sturdy, hand woven cotton. It consists of two lengths, embroidered along the hems and selvedges and then sewn together. The lengths were probably woven at different times, or possibly on different looms, since one length is 5 cm wider than the other.
Ill. 3. Central insert of the Lefkara lace cloth from Cyprus, 19th century (TRC 2021.2068). The insert is indicated in red in the schematic drawing.Along the hems on both short sides there is a band of bobbin lace that ends in a fringe (see Ill. 1). This band has been stitched onto a wide band of decorative embroidery, which itself is made up of a wide central band with a zig-zag motif, flanked by two narrow bands with various forms of embroidery.
The broad band of zig-zags is filled with squares and triangles. The stitches used are satin stitch worked in various patterns, and buttonhole stitch wheels. If you look carefully, there are also rows of very small eyelet stitches. But I think the cloth has been washed many times: many stitches are no longer separately visible.
Along the long sides of the cloth, there is a thin strip of embroidered squares.
Between the two bands that make up the cloth, where they are sewn together, there is an inset of 3 cm wide (indicated in red in Ill. 2), worked with needle lace.
Ill. 4. Traditional Cypriote four poster with bed hanging. © 2008 by Lefkara Municipality / Ministry of Education and CultureThe fringes are obviously meant to hang down. The cloth could be a table cloth, as has been suggested by others. But I don’t think so. There are differences in the stitching of the embroidery. The band with zig-zag motif at one end has been worked on the obverse of the cloth, while at the other end of the cloth it has been worked on the reverse. This would indicate that the cloth was meant to be seen draped in such a manner that the 'good' side was visible at both ends.
Now that would be really surprising for a table cloth. So what was it used for? On the UNESCO website I found a photograph that would explain it: I think it was meant to be a bed canopy (see ill. 4), which was seen on the inside and outside, depending on the location. Based on its size, it would have covered a child's bed.
Ill. 5. Schematic drawing of the way in which the Lefkara lace cloth would have been draped as a bed hanging. The yellow coloured parts are the visible and 'good' parts of the embroidery
Nelleke Ganzevoort, 6 December 2021
