MEDITERRANEANTHREADS
Greek Embroideries1700–1900 AD
Use the arrows to navigate the exhibition
Through a selection of highlights from our collection, explore the visual richness and technical sophistication of 18th- and 19th-century Greek embroideries, as well as their debt to the many artistic traditions that flourished around the Mediterranean.
Use the left and right arrows to navigate the exhibition
And click on this symbol, throughout, for more information
INTRODUCTION
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”
William Morris
Centuries before William Morris wrote these words, Greek women were already abiding by these rules as reflected by the embroidered pillow covers, valances, curtains and coverlets that once filled their dowries
Showing an impressive range of decorative motifs and stitching techniques, the vibrant textiles shown on the following pages demonstrate the creativeness and domestic pride of their makers, but also tell us about cross-cultural encounters and borrowings.
As foreign powers came to rule Greece and its islands over the centuries, aspects of their visual traditions and technical knowledge were picked up and adapted, infusing local customs and productions with new purpose and inspiration. This extended multicultural interaction produced rewards for the art of embroidery in the 1700s and 1800s.
CLOSE YET FAR
The most striking feature of pre-modern Greek
embroideries is their diversity. Both their decoration and the techniques used could vary considerably from island to island. They were made by women, and primarily in a domestic
context.
A MEDITERRANEAN CROSSROAD
For centuries Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans succeeded each other as rulers of Greece and its islands, while Genoese, Catalan and Mamluk merchants transited regularly through their ports delivering international goods and striking deals.
The impact of these various traditions can be seen both in the decorative motifs and the technical aspects of Greek embroideries, including materials and stitching techniques.
The objects selected for this section – drawn from the Ashmolean collections of Italian, Ottoman and Mamluk art – highlight some of these links.
BRITAIN COLLECTS GREECE
Most of the fragments included in this display belonged to Professor John L. Myres and John Buxton, two 20th-century Oxford-based scholars linked to the British School of Archaeology in Athens. For them, and others attached to the school, textiles provided valuable evidence for their anthropological research about Greece’s past.
Today’s presence of Greek embroideries in Britain is thus not casual. It is precisely their documentary and ethnographic value, alongside a new appreciation for needlework likely influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, that led many to collect them before they ended up in museum collections.
ANATOMY OF A MASTERPIECE
The extent to which Greek embroideries could be appreciated long after their original use is nowhere more evident than in the panel on the next page. Once decorating the hem of a dress, the textile has been repurposed as a cushion cover with the addition of three bands of embroidery with matching motifs.
Click to return to the start of the exhibition
Mediterranean Threads
Sarah Casey
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Transcript
MEDITERRANEANTHREADS
Greek Embroideries1700–1900 AD
Use the arrows to navigate the exhibition
Through a selection of highlights from our collection, explore the visual richness and technical sophistication of 18th- and 19th-century Greek embroideries, as well as their debt to the many artistic traditions that flourished around the Mediterranean.
Use the left and right arrows to navigate the exhibition
And click on this symbol, throughout, for more information
INTRODUCTION
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”
William Morris
Centuries before William Morris wrote these words, Greek women were already abiding by these rules as reflected by the embroidered pillow covers, valances, curtains and coverlets that once filled their dowries
Showing an impressive range of decorative motifs and stitching techniques, the vibrant textiles shown on the following pages demonstrate the creativeness and domestic pride of their makers, but also tell us about cross-cultural encounters and borrowings.
As foreign powers came to rule Greece and its islands over the centuries, aspects of their visual traditions and technical knowledge were picked up and adapted, infusing local customs and productions with new purpose and inspiration. This extended multicultural interaction produced rewards for the art of embroidery in the 1700s and 1800s.
CLOSE YET FAR
The most striking feature of pre-modern Greek embroideries is their diversity. Both their decoration and the techniques used could vary considerably from island to island. They were made by women, and primarily in a domestic context.
A MEDITERRANEAN CROSSROAD
For centuries Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans succeeded each other as rulers of Greece and its islands, while Genoese, Catalan and Mamluk merchants transited regularly through their ports delivering international goods and striking deals.
The impact of these various traditions can be seen both in the decorative motifs and the technical aspects of Greek embroideries, including materials and stitching techniques. The objects selected for this section – drawn from the Ashmolean collections of Italian, Ottoman and Mamluk art – highlight some of these links.
BRITAIN COLLECTS GREECE
Most of the fragments included in this display belonged to Professor John L. Myres and John Buxton, two 20th-century Oxford-based scholars linked to the British School of Archaeology in Athens. For them, and others attached to the school, textiles provided valuable evidence for their anthropological research about Greece’s past.
Today’s presence of Greek embroideries in Britain is thus not casual. It is precisely their documentary and ethnographic value, alongside a new appreciation for needlework likely influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, that led many to collect them before they ended up in museum collections.
ANATOMY OF A MASTERPIECE
The extent to which Greek embroideries could be appreciated long after their original use is nowhere more evident than in the panel on the next page. Once decorating the hem of a dress, the textile has been repurposed as a cushion cover with the addition of three bands of embroidery with matching motifs.
Click to return to the start of the exhibition