Embroidery and Textiles

Textiles are the best-known face of Hungarian folk art, and the easiest to recognise: bright flowers on a dark or white ground, on blouses, tablecloths, pillows and aprons. This chapter looks at the main embroidery traditions, what the motifs and colours mean (and do not mean), the weaving and lace that sit beside them, and who still makes and wears them. As always, the dates and attributions are from general knowledge and flagged where they should be checked.

Matyó Embroidery

The Matyó are the people of Mezőkövesd and nearby villages in northern Hungary, and their embroidery is among the most famous in the country (check the place and the name). It is known for dense, richly coloured floral designs, worked on linen, cotton or wool in many bright shades on a dark or light ground, and for spectacular festive costume (check the description). The designs became very elaborate from the late nineteenth century, and the tradition was recognised on UNESCO's intangible heritage list (check the listing and year).

• Motifs. Roses, tulips, carnations and other flowers, often in large, full-blooded forms, and also birds and stars.
• Technique. Satin stitch and related stitches, often worked first as a design drawn or pricked by a specialist and then embroidered by the household (check).
• Who did it. Women embroidered much of the household linen and clothing, and in Mezőkövesd male embroiderers and pattern drawers are also recorded (check this point).

Kalocsa

Kalocsa, in the south of the country near the Danube, is known for both embroidery and painted flower designs, and also for paprika (check). Its style is characterised by bold, curving flowers in strong colours, often on white cloth, with a rich colour range that includes reds, blues and greens. Painted decoration on walls and furniture is related to the embroidered pattern (check the connection). Kalocsa designs now appear on tablecloths, blouses, ceramics and tourist goods, so the tradition is a good example of the line between record and souvenir described in Chapter 1.

Other Regional Styles

Motifs and Colour

Many books explain each flower or colour as a symbol: a rose for love, a tulip for faith, red for life. Such readings are common but should be treated with care. There is good evidence that certain motifs had local associations, but much "meaning" was read into the patterns later, by collectors and writers who wanted to find a code (check, and see the "record, revival, souvenir" test in Chapter 1). A safer approach is to treat the patterns as a decorative vocabulary: a village's characteristic flowers, colours and layouts, used to mark place, occasion and skill (see Chapter 2).

Weaving, Lace and Other Textiles

• Weaving. Hemp and flax were grown, spun and woven at home into linen cloth, with woven stripes and patterns on blankets, towels and coverings (check).
• Lace. The lace of Halas, in the southern Great Plain, is a well-known craft, with a school and a national reputation. It is typically made with needles on a fine thread, and its modern history involves a deliberate training programme from the early twentieth century (check).
• Cutwork and drawn thread. Openwork decoration, common on tablecloths and shirts.
• Felt and leather. Shepherds' cloaks and embroidered sheepskin coats, a craft of herdsmen and furriers.

Who Makes and Wears Textiles Now?

Today folk textiles are made in several ways. A few families and craftspeople still embroider by hand to a high standard, and the state has recognised some as masters (see Chapter 4 and Chapter 9). Local cooperatives and workshops produce sets for sale. Machine-made "folk-style" goods are common in shops. Traditional costume is still worn at festivals, weddings and folk-dance events, and there is also a revived fashion for folk-inspired clothes by designers (check, and see Chapter 9). Which of these counts as "authentic" depends, again, on the question asked.

Exercises