Stocking
Stocking
1800s (made)
1800s (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
People
This stocking comes from Baranya county in Southern Hungary, a region known for its ethnic diversity under the Austro-Hungarian Empire . The stocking is typical of a style made by German craftsmen living in the region at the time and was a popular fashion with Croatian women (also known as Šokci). The stocking formed a part of both the daily and festive dress of the women.
Collection History
The stocking is from a collection of 120 items of folk dress and textiles presented to the South Kensington Museum in 1883, most of which are still in the V&A’s collection today. The collection was given by the ‘Royal Hungarian Minister of Public Instruction’ who at that time was Ágoston Trefort (1817-1888), a pioneer of Hungarian educational reform. Trefort was a played a key role in the establishment of the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest (1896) that in turn, was central to the movement of Hungarian artists and designers that used folk art to develop a Hungarian national style.
Decoration and Technique
The stocking has been knit from colourful yarns. The symmetrical bird and tulip motif is common to the region (the tulip is the national flower of Hungary). The unusual 'arrow' shape on the heel is an exaggerated gusset-heel. The style of the gusset-heel and decoration surrounding it reminds us of earlier clocked-heel stocking designs. The small flowers surrounding the gusset-heel have been embroidered with thick wool, probably to provide extra warmth for the wearer as well as decoration. The pattern tells us that this stocking was made by a skilled knitter, probably a craftsman.
This stocking comes from Baranya county in Southern Hungary, a region known for its ethnic diversity under the Austro-Hungarian Empire . The stocking is typical of a style made by German craftsmen living in the region at the time and was a popular fashion with Croatian women (also known as Šokci). The stocking formed a part of both the daily and festive dress of the women.
Collection History
The stocking is from a collection of 120 items of folk dress and textiles presented to the South Kensington Museum in 1883, most of which are still in the V&A’s collection today. The collection was given by the ‘Royal Hungarian Minister of Public Instruction’ who at that time was Ágoston Trefort (1817-1888), a pioneer of Hungarian educational reform. Trefort was a played a key role in the establishment of the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest (1896) that in turn, was central to the movement of Hungarian artists and designers that used folk art to develop a Hungarian national style.
Decoration and Technique
The stocking has been knit from colourful yarns. The symmetrical bird and tulip motif is common to the region (the tulip is the national flower of Hungary). The unusual 'arrow' shape on the heel is an exaggerated gusset-heel. The style of the gusset-heel and decoration surrounding it reminds us of earlier clocked-heel stocking designs. The small flowers surrounding the gusset-heel have been embroidered with thick wool, probably to provide extra warmth for the wearer as well as decoration. The pattern tells us that this stocking was made by a skilled knitter, probably a craftsman.
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Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Stocking |
Materials and techniques | knitted coloured wool |
Brief description | Stocking, wool, Hungary, around 1800-1883. |
Physical description | Knitted stocking of multicoloured wool. It is predominantly red, black and white with blue, yellow and green detailing on the flower and bird motifs. The top is encircled with a red pattern of poppies and crosses, which is itself permeated with a plain blue band. The rest of the stocking is decorated with birds and flowers, split by a vaguely arrow-shaped figure filled with shapes and a heart. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Given by the ‘Royal Hungarian Minister of Public Instruction’ who at that time was Ágoston Trefort (1817-1888). |
Object history | From a collection of 120 items of folk dress and textiles presented to the South Kensington Museum in 1883, most of which are still in the V&A’s collection today (see 862-1883 to 940-1883). The collection was given by the ‘Royal Hungarian Minister of Public Instruction’ who at that time was Ágoston Trefort (1817-1888), a pioneer of Hungarian educational reform. Trefort was a played a key role in the establishment of the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest (1896) that in turn, was central to the movement of Hungarian artists and designers that used folk art to develop a Hungarian national style. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | People This stocking comes from Baranya county in Southern Hungary, a region known for its ethnic diversity under the Austro-Hungarian Empire . The stocking is typical of a style made by German craftsmen living in the region at the time and was a popular fashion with Croatian women (also known as Šokci). The stocking formed a part of both the daily and festive dress of the women. Collection History The stocking is from a collection of 120 items of folk dress and textiles presented to the South Kensington Museum in 1883, most of which are still in the V&A’s collection today. The collection was given by the ‘Royal Hungarian Minister of Public Instruction’ who at that time was Ágoston Trefort (1817-1888), a pioneer of Hungarian educational reform. Trefort was a played a key role in the establishment of the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest (1896) that in turn, was central to the movement of Hungarian artists and designers that used folk art to develop a Hungarian national style. Decoration and Technique The stocking has been knit from colourful yarns. The symmetrical bird and tulip motif is common to the region (the tulip is the national flower of Hungary). The unusual 'arrow' shape on the heel is an exaggerated gusset-heel. The style of the gusset-heel and decoration surrounding it reminds us of earlier clocked-heel stocking designs. The small flowers surrounding the gusset-heel have been embroidered with thick wool, probably to provide extra warmth for the wearer as well as decoration. The pattern tells us that this stocking was made by a skilled knitter, probably a craftsman. |
Bibliographic reference | Die Österreichisch-Ungarische Monarchie in Wort und Bild, Ungarn, Vol. 2 & 4, (Vienna: k.k. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Alfred von Hölder, 1891)
Fél, Edit, Hofer, Tamás, and K.-Csillery, Klára, Hungarian Peasant Art, (Budapest: Corvina: 1958)
‘Guide to the Culin Archival Collection’, compiled by Deirdre E. Lawrence and Deborah Wythe, Subseries 1.4: Correspondence (Incoming and Outgoing), https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/research/culin/culin.php [accessed 7 January 2016]
Piffl, E., Deutsche Bauern in Ungarn, (Berlin: Verlag Grenze und Ausland, 1938)
Gécseg, O., (2016) A Good Yarn: Tale of a Hand Knitted Stocking from Hungary. Unpublished MA essay. Royal College of Art/V&A Museum
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Collection | |
Accession number | 901-1883 |
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Record created | June 24, 2009 |
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