Dress, embroidered linen, Greek (Dodecanese), 1700-1800s.

Dress of coarse natural coloured linen and cotton with fairly tight, unshaped bodice with slit opening at the neck and gathered skirt set into the waistband. The sleeves are set with buttonhole insrtions, pulled work stitches etc. in colours. Similarly, the under arm seams are joined. The hem line and each of the seams at the front and sides are embroidered for a depth or 8-10 inches with a lozenge pattern.

Colours: shades of pink, fawn, green, yellow and dark brown.

Prof R. M. Dawkins

Received from Prof R. M. Dawkins of Abergale and Exeter College, Oxford.

A note in the register says "this dress is attributed to Calymnos in the Museum Register but there seems to be no reason for this. The typical under-dress from Calymnos, of which there are several in the Museum collection (573 and 4-1886, 330 and 331-1887, T678-1950, see also Tarsouli Pls. 36 and 41) is a straigth long shift with straight sleeves and fine cross stitch embroidery.

The dress is included in the BFAC Catalogue, No.86, and here attributed to Rhodes.

In some villages in Rhodes the traditional costume was a dress with a full pleated skirt, worn over the usual embroidered under-dress and short enough to clear the high boots which were part of the costume. (See Hadjimichaeli, Smothsonian Inst. Cat Pl.20 and Tarsouli, Pls.3 and 5.) The bodice of the over-dress was scooped out to reveal the emroidered neck opening of the under-dress. This dress, with its short, full skirt, would fit these requirements. In addition, the embroidery on the skirt corresponds to patterns shown by Tarsouli, Pl.5."

T.679-1950