- Museum number
- Eu1970,02.7
- Description
-
A woman's long waistcoat ('griza'). Made from natural cream woven wool fabric, fulled; 'A' line in shape. Red cotton velvet fabric stitched to centre front opening and back of neck, armholes and below, with a deep border at the hem. Two large, identical motifs either side of front opening, comprising cypress tree framed by a smaller tree (?), with scrolls above, forming a broadly triangular-shaped motif. Five circular motifs couched at the sides of the waistcoat. Further couching above border and at hem. Motifs made from damask weave using gold-coloured metal-wrapped thread and yellow silk (?), and couched red silk thread. Plaited gold-coloured metal-wrapped thread at hem. Partially lined with green tabby woven cotton cloth.
- Production date
- 1830-1880
- Dimensions
-
Length: 75 centimetres
-
Width: 57.50 centimetres (across bottom)
- Curator's comments
- The griza was a long sleeveless waistcoat usually worn two at a time, the inner one plainer than the outer one. See A. Hatzimichali, 'The Greek Folk Costume', I, 1977, pp. 58-59, figs. 36-37, an inner griza of white wool with red borders and gold thread embroidery at the hem, and pp. 60-61, figs. 39-40, an outer griza, of shorter length with elaborate embroidery, covering much of the surface. The long length of the British Museum griza is very close in conception to watercolours of Greek costume by L. Dupré of 1825 (Hatzimichali, vol I, p. 28, fig. 5) and Charles Gleyre of 1834 (see Linda Welters, 'Womens' Traditional Costume in Attica, Greece', Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation, Athens, 1986, p. 41, fig. 30, depicting a woman with double griza). See also Ioanna Papantoniou, 'Greek Dress: From Ancient Times to the Early 20th Century' (Commercial Bank of Greece, Athens 2000) for a painting by P. Bonirote called 'Dance on the Pynx', 1842, in the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation, Nicosia, showing women wearing the simpler inner waistcoats.
According to Welters (pp. 44 and 62-64) grizes were made until the 1930s, by professional male tailors, using imported white wool broadcloth, with coloured borders, usually red. The griza of the late 18th and early 19th century was rather plain, without embroidery. The addition of gold embroidery was a development that occured after 1830 and increased as the century progressed. The shape of the griza also changed: by the 1860s or 70s it reached only to the hips. The earlier practice of wearing two grizes at a time, a shorter one over a longer one, was abandoned in favour of a single griza with double hems so that it looked like two. After 1880 all grizes were single grizes.
The length of this griza and the use of gold embroidery suggests a date after 1830 but before 1860-70.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
BM, Parthenon Slip Room (G16): January-September 2014
- Acquisition date
- 1970
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- Eu1970,02.7
- Additional IDs
-
Miscellaneous number: 1970As9.7 (initially registered as, in error)