apron
- Museum number
- Eu1995,03.29
- Description
-
A woman's wool apron. Rectangular in shape and made of one piece of multicoloured tapestry woven fabric. Eight bands containing horizontal zigzag patterning, worked in white cotton and maroon, green, purple, orange and black wools, alternate with solid red, green, brown and black bands. The sides of the apron (the selvedges) have been overcast with yellow wool thread. Both hem and top are turned and hand stitched. The apron ties, sewn to the top corners, are made from two identical green and brown plaited cords.
- Production date
- 20thC
- Dimensions
-
Length: 80 centimetres (excluding ties)
-
Width: 49 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- The following information kindly supplied by Miriam Milgram (30.3.2011): these are from a group of related villages that also include Tuhovishte, F'rgovo and Bogolin, all Bulgarian Moslem (Pomak) villages. The design is locally known as "makazi" (info from Tuhovishte and Slashten), meaning "scissors" and both elderly informants commented that it is to "cut the evil eye". Similar naming conventions in neighboring villages identified a motif as "little axe" with the same intent.
See also Eu1995,03.31 for a similar apron.
Recording her visit to the Pomak region in south Bulgaria 1972, Mercia MacDermott described Pomak women's clothing in detail, see M. MacDermott, 'Once upon a time in Bulgaria', Manifasto Press 2016, pp. 228-9.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1995
- Acquisition notes
- The items in this collection (Eu1995,03.1 to 90) were primarily collected during periods of residence by the donor in Bulgaria between 1963 and 1989.
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- Eu1995,03.29
