unique handmade cross stitch embroidery on canvas with cotton thread
This handmade hoop art piece depicts typical views and buildings of Greek islands. The colours and the design bring in mind careless moments during vacation in the Aegean.
It is set on a wooden hoop, ready to de displayed on your wall or on top of a coffeetable. The monochromatic dark blue thread gives a modern twist to this traditional craft piece, making it suitable for any decoration.
Measurements
app. 15 cm hoop diameter
Greek Island Embroidery
Embroidery is now fading, but has been one of the richest aspects of Greek tradition in the past centuries. According to the Greek embroidery researcher and expert, Tatiana Ioannou-Giannara, most Greek embroideries are in the hands of foreign collectors and museums.
A beautifully decorative and important part of folk tradition, Greek embroideries are both fascinating to see and intriguing to study. Differences in style and technique can be applied from region to region. In Thrace, for instance, most embroideries are of wool, while embroideries from the Cyclades are usually decorated with geometric motifs and include a fuller range of colors. Embroideries from Epirus were usually painted first and then embroidered, while in the Ionian Islands the technique differs: The outline of the motif was first made on the fabric with needles and then embroidered. The Sporades offer some of the finest specimens of embroidery (some of the most well known are those from Skyros) perhaps because, as the expert explains, the area was constantly in contact with the big trading centers of Byzantium. Byzantine motifs have survived through Greek embroidery centuries after the demise of the Byzantine Empire. Greek traditional embroideries are a blend of this Byzantine heritage, with motifs inspired by local and historical traditions.
According to Giannara, Greek embroidery is distinctive for borrowing motifs from different sources and combining them in rich variations. Each motif symbolizes something different and is part of an intricate and fascinating code derived from traditional costumes and centuries of history. Birds are one of the most typical motifs and, generally, they symbolize fertility and a happy life. Peacocks, a Byzantine motif, fend off bad luck while partridges symbolize the innocence of a new bride. Other symbols include the double-headed eagle, the cypress (which is the tree of life) and the boat.
from the article by A. Koroxenidis
"Greek tradition shines in centuries of embroidery"
Kathimerini English Edition
12.04.2006
