waistcoat
- Museum number
- Eu1997,04.27
- Description
-
A man's waistcoat, a 'lajbek', with revers; perhaps wedding attire. Ground, of blue/black fulled woollen cloth almost completely covered with fine, couched scrolled embroidery. Orange is the predominant colour (plaited woollen yarn); further embroidered floral embellishments using white, green, blue, yellow and mauve mercerised cotton yarns. At either side of centre front opening are rows of lead buttons, 'gumbeki'. Thin strips of red and white fulled cloth with spots stitched to edge of collar. A straight pocket on each front side. Waistcoat fastened with an orange and yellow braid with an 'endless knot' and tassel at the end, made from orange wool and gold-coloured metal-wrapped thread. Four opaque blue glass (?) buttons shaped like flowers stitched to front. Lined with cream twill woven cotton cloth, stained. Patch pocket on inside left (as worn).
- Production date
- 1930s (donor information)
- Dimensions
-
Length: 49 centimetres
-
Width: 46 centimetres (under arms)
- Curator's comments
- Text from Eth Doc 1892, no. 13c: Made by men village tailors of manufactured blue cloth, and heavily decorated with orange/red cotton braid. At the front on either side of the opening are rows of lead buttons 'gumbeki', and ceramic or glass imitation stones. The general pattern is of scroll work, but the lapels are made of layers of coloured felt with scalloped edges, and cross stitch embroidery in rows. At the back the blue cloth is exposed and embroidered with flowers. Pre the 1930s the jackets were less elaborate and were predominantly blue in many instances. The front of the 'lajbek' is fastened by long plaited cords which include some metallic thread and which have 'medallions' and tassels at the ends. There are two frontal pockets and an inner breast pocket.
Similar jackets are worn in other regions but are less elaborate and more sombre in appearance. In Prigorje there is a slight difference in the design of the braidwork among the villages.
Religion: Roman Catholic.
For other parts of this attire see: 25: shirt; 26: trousers; 28: jacket; 29: neck-tie; 30: shoes.
Information supplementary to Eth Doc:
For similar men's waistcoats from the southern slopes of Medvdenica near Zagreb, see J. R. Ribarić, 'The Folk Costumes of Croatia', Zagreb 1975, unpaginated illustration (pl. 3). Information supplementary to Eth Doc:
For a similar man's costume, see Elizabeth Wayland Barber and Barbara Belle Sloan, 'Resplendent Dress from Southeastern Europe. A History in Layers', Fowler Museum at UCLA, Los Angeles, 2013, pp. 124-5, Figs. 1.85a-c.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1997
- Acquisition notes
- Purchased by the donor in 1969 in an old shop in Zagreb old town (Gorni Grad).
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- Eu1997,04.27