Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Philip Argenti folklore collection comprises items that fall into four different categories: embroidery, woven fabrics, costumes and woodcarving utensils

The first category is made of costume accessories, such as breast kerchiefs, headscarves and cuffs as well as other ornaments and decorations used around the house, such as çevre, towels and white embroidery. These items cover a period which extends between the middle of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

The woven fabric collection consists mainly of sample items which date back to 1936. They include belts decorated with various ornaments (called “ploumia” in Kalamoti and Pyrgi) or stripes (called as such in Mesta). They used to decorate the hem of a woman’s skirt and were placed in stripes, as shown in the sample. A variation of this decorative method consisted in using bits and pieces of woven fabrics to decorate the house. Currently, woven fabrics can only by found in Mastihohoria.

As far as the costumes are concerned, it worth mentioning that there are very few areas in Greece where a limited geographical area, especially an island, presents an endless variety of local costumes. This phenomenon can also be found in Florina and the surrounding villages.

Finally the woodcarving item collection comprises mainly utensils used by shepherds. They were found in the Northern part of the island, also known as Voreiohora, and depict the main occupation of the people of this region, which consisted in livestock farming.