Object ID
2010.30.19
Object Name
Jacket
Date Created
1960s
Material
Cotton; Wool
Object Entities
Salimbene, Suzanne (owned by)
Salimbene, Suzanne (is related to)
Object Description
Female, black wool jacket with heavy gold thread embroidery at lapel. Intricate coiled gold embroidered design down each sleeve and scalloped edge at each cuff. Vertical embroidery detailing down back of jacket. Lavender and cream floral lining.

There are two panels that make up the front of the jacket, they are about three inches apart in the middle. Down each panel there is a embriodered gold and black pattern. The edge of inner side of the panel and about the lenght of the pattern on the bottom are seamed with a wavy black fabric. Two strips that are made up with thin black lines. The two strips move down the jacket at opposite angles to create a triangle. Lining the inner triangle and the outer black strip is a wavy embriodered pattern with gold string. The triangle is filled with gold and black embroidered swirl pattern. At the top part of the triangle there are thin gold lines that is in a wave pattern with the tips that swirl into little circles. As one moves down the triangle, the lines become thicker and it alternates from gold to black in a mushroom pattern. The gold mushrooms have loops at the end that form small mushrooms.

The sleep is attached to the jacket only at the back half of the sholder of the jacket. There is a scalloped edge at the top of the sleeve and the bottom. There are one large rectangle on the top of the sleeve with two small squares on the bottom half. The larger rectangle has the black and gold alternating mushroom pattern. The gold has fanning string that forms circles coming from it. The mushroom pattern is horizontial. There is a mushroom embroidered pattern on the top and bottom of the rectangle and down one long side of the rectangle. The two square are the same expect the mushrooom pattern is verticle. On the back side of the sleeve are two strips made of black string and on both lines there is a three sided squre made of black string the outline of the square covers about a third of the horizontal line.

The sleeve is not sewed together, the sleeve is one piece of fabric that is not connected on the inner side. The top of the inner sleeve is folded over and sewed into the shoulder of the jacket. The fabric in the sleeve and the inner of the front of the jacket is a cotton flower pattern. The pattern is made of of squares outlined in black with little black squares in the corners. Then there is a purple and white alternate border and there is a purple and white flower in the top right corner. There are dots in the rest of the square, the dots get bigger in the corner across from the rose.

The back of the jacket, has two gold and black lines going top to bottom. The top starts off farther apart and comes close together near the center before getting further apart. The line is gold and black swirls alternating. In the middle of the jacket there is a line of gold swirls. On the bottom of the jacket there is a strip of black string that creates a curve in the middle of the bottom. In the curve there is a little triangle of the piece missing. Above the black strip, there is a wavy gold pattern on the bottom.

On the inside of the jacket, you see the back stiching of the embroidery of the gold pattern on the back.
Origin
The donor lived in Greece from 1965-1982 and wore and owned the Sateataski costume.

This style of jacket came from the Sarakatsani people. Sarakatsani are indigenous people from Greek. They are nomatic people who live half the year in the mountains. Their art (song, pottery, dance, clothing design) resembles the geometric art of pre-classical Greece. Furthermore, Sarakatsani still practice traditional folk medicine. They are Greek Orthodox Christians and associate with Church of Greece. They begin their migration up the mountains on Saint George Day in April and return to the low plains on Saint Demetrius in October. Sarakatsanies have lived in countries surrounding Greece (Bulgaria, Albania, Republic of Macedonia). However, now there are only measurable numbers of people in Greece and Bulgaria. For women's outfits there are thirteen parts. Most items are made from hand-wooven wool.

This vest is called a tazmandani. And it is the second vest that is placed over the first vest. The primary vest is called a polkaki. The polkaki has a hook and eye closure in the front and is plain in the back. The tazmandani has no closure in the front. Traditionally, there is a seem in the center of the back and five double pleats from the waist to the bottom hem. Also, there are usually no sleeves.

There have been significant decreases in the population of Sarakatsani due to urbanization. Many have willing left; however, others have left because there is not enough open land to support their lifestyle
Rights and Reproduction
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Any other use, such as exhibition, publication, or commercial use, is not allowed except by written permission in accordance with the NHM Image Rights and Reproduction Policy.

For questions on image rights and reproduction, please contact nhmcollections@hellenicmuseum.org
Citation
Jacket, 1960s, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/8458. Accessed 03/29/24.