Cap, silk embroidered and lined in cotton, Romania (Kalotaszeg, Transylvania?), 1800s.

Cap of embroidered silk and lined with cotton. Tabby woven silk, blue warp, and red weft flushed on the surface to form a plant design, and lined with printed cotton. The embroidery is worked on a small panel of figured fabric in gold thread which is slightly stiffened and folded so that only a semi-circular piece show, and only this piece is worked with applied decoration of coloured metals, seed pearls, metal purl, silver-gilt sequins and thick white cotton. The lower edge is trimmed with a braid of gold and silver thread backed by red flannel.

Given by Mr Paul Telco of London.

A note in the register says 'The colours are not typical of the Kalotoszeg area but the design and the method of working are comparable to the Kalotoszeg embroideries illustrated on colour plates VIII a. and b. (Vol I A Magvar Nep Muveszete. Budapest, 1907.) Similar embroideries in black and yellow wool were produced in Czechoslovakia of T.145-1924 and T.159-1929. This piece probably originated in the same villiage as T.155-1968.)

Obtained alongside T.155 to 189-1968, a selection of Hungarian/Romanian embroideries.

The donor of the collection came to England from Budapest in the 1920s. The embroideries were family possessions but the donor did not know from which area of Hungary his family came from. However, the bulk come from Kalotaszeg, Transylvania (now part of Romania), with some examples from the neighboring areas of Szekeley, Torocko and Banat (all in Romania).

T.160-1968