
Embroidery history and the development of needlework (video)
Content
- The emergence and development of embroidery
- The all-powerful amulet
- History of cross stitch
- Church embroidery
- Saint Barbara - patroness of embroiderers
- Poems about embroidery
- Video: history of cross and gold embroidery
Every good deed has its own story.Semantic beauty has the deepest roots. This is a pattern, because it encodes the entire world, its vision and understanding, the connection of man with the miracles surrounding him. And for our ancestors, everything was a miracle: sunrise and sunset, the change of day and night, rain and snow, a warm breeze and a violent wind. They attributed special powers to each phenomenon. They turned to the good for help, and protected themselves from the evil. And to make this help more effective, they encrypted it in bright symbols. This is how embroidery and the process of embroidery itself were born.
The emergence and development of embroidery
When exactly was it? The history of the appearance of embroidery is silent. And it does not matter now, when a person first thought about the idea of inserting into the holes of a fish bone, or the bones of a small gnawed animal, a strong herbaceous fiber of a curling plant or twisted hair in the fingers. The main thing is another - the originality of embroidery and today excites minds, and its history is endless. Evidence of this - today's bowed heads over the hoop and canvas and ancient finds, with elements of embroidery. Here, for example, perfectly preserved parts of the magnificent decoration that are found on the territory of ancient China - gold and hair threads on the finest silk. This embroidered artifact, created in the 4th-5th centuries BC, still amazes with its grace. And what about the clothes of a rich Sarmatian that was found in the Sokolovskaya grave of the Mykolaiv region! Purple embroidery on gold embroidery came to us from the first century of our era. And the outfit of the buried man from the Martynovsky treasure, embroidered with a wide geometric ornament on the breast of his posthumous decoration - VI century ...
The seventy-meter "Bayeux Tapestry" Came to us andwitnesses of the art of embroiderers of the Middle Ages. One of the most famous is the seventy-meter "Bayeux Carpet", with the image of many different animals, ceremonial buildings, warriors in full gear, ships. This monumental canvas was embroidered somewhere in the late 11th - early 12th centuries, and has survived to this day! Another chic example of skillful embroidery, known since the 15th century - a carpet with a stunningly bright image of the Kremlin religious processions, embroidered by the hands of the wife of the Moscow autocrat Ivan III - Elena Voloshanka (Moldavanka). She was the daughter of Stefan the Great, the Moldavian ruler, and the Kyiv princess Evdokia Olelkovich (and as ethnographers claim, it was she who became the prototype of the fairy-tale Elena the Wise or the Beautiful, a beauty and craftswoman whom Tsar Ivan brought to his capital from the faraway kingdom of a distant state). A truly royal work, which for many centuries adorned the walls of the monastery of Russian autocrats.
What can I say, even in the book of books – the Bible– embroidery is mentioned! Both in verses 22 and 24 of chapter 38 of Exodus, you can read in detail how the son of Uriah, Bezalil from the tribe (family) of Judah, and the descendant of the tribe of Dan, Oholiab, made elegant tunics, headbands and underwear (body) dresses from fine linen for the nobility and embroidered them with blue, gold, purple threads. The Holy Scripture says that Oholiab skillfully mastered the craft of an embroiderer. Embroidery has always been honored and was equated with the matter of fine art!
The all-powerful amulet
Mokosh (Makosh) is an ancient Slavic goddessfate, fertility and family hearth, she is in charge of such a craft as spinning. If in the same China, where the most ancient witnesses of skillful possession of a needle were found, embroidery was allowed only to the chosen ones, and expensive embroidered clothes were worn only by the richest and noblest, in Rus' every girl made her first stitch at the age of three. Embroidery was not a game for her, just as it was not work, it was an opportunity to declare her hopes and aspirations to the one whom our ancestors worshiped. As the girl's skill increased, the power of the message that the Slavs addressed to their patrons and protectors - the Higher Powers - also increased. Each stroke on the canvas had a sacred meaning, because they were based on important rituals, beliefs and customs. Embroidered patterns for our ancestors were a kind of pentagram, where each symbol contains a whole story. For example, when depicting a rhombus with a dot in the middle, the embroiderer addressed Mokosh, a female deity, the Goddess of Destiny, who symbolized unity with ancestors, wealth, land, home comfort and well-being. When embroidering an eight-pointed star, they addressed the Eye of Rod. The meaning and importance of the amulet were the strongest, because it contained the will and mercy of the Almighty, which he has the power to bestow, both on the living and the non-living. And the more skillfully the embroiderer depicted what she desired, the more merciful the higher powers should be to her and the wearer of her embroidery.
Ancient Slavic protective embroidery onclothesBut perhaps the most powerful amulet was cross-stitching. The cross symbolized the power of the four elements, arms spread out in a protective gesture, opposition to dark forces, feminine love and masculinity. A skilled craftswoman knew how to cross-stitch correctly so that fate would be favorable. Each movement of the embroiderer had a certain meaning. The first stitch was necessarily placed to the left, revealing the feminine principle, maternal protective energy, the second - to the right, calling on masculine power. And if the embroiderer wanted to create not just a strong, but a powerful amulet, she tried to do all the work in one go - between sunrise and sunset. It was believed that even the blackest magic could not break through such pure protection. Our ancestors attached great importance to the slightest nuances. Embroidery for them was not just a craft for pleasure and relaxation.
History of cross stitch
The history of cross stitch, faith in its poweris laconically supplemented by the legend of the Emperor Constantine, who was traveling to his opponent and at the same time co-ruler Maximilian - in Rome. Thinking about his future fate, he suddenly saw in the sky above him the image of a cross, and an inscription written by an invisible force: "in this you will conquer." The emperor immediately interpreted the meaning of this vision as a message from higher powers, and made the symbol he saw his personal emblem, raising it to replace the eagle that had previously adorned his standards. And having defeated the insidious enemy at the Milvian Bridge, Constantine finally became confident in the power of the Christian god, and, having banned all persecution of Christ's disciples, ordered the use of invincible symbols in all ceremonial celebrations, including in the decoration of clothing. The vestments of clergy were allowed to be embroidered only with a cross. Thus embroidery became the duty of those who called themselves the Brides of Christ and the Servants of God – the inhabitants of the monasteries.
Church embroidery
Embroidery with the image of a dove is interpreted asforgiveness of our sins by the LordWith the light hand of Emperor Constantine, embroidery began to decorate not only the clothes of the clergy, but also the decoration of the pulpit, the altar. In the temple of God, special symbols appeared, the meaning of which is purity and love, rebirth and resurrection. So, for example, the flower that grew from Eve's tears when she left paradise - narcissus or Easter lily - became a symbol of endless righteous life for true believers. The meaning of embroidery with the image of a dove is interpreted as forgiveness of our sins by the Lord. Butterfly - resurrection of the lost soul.
Over time, skilled craftswomen began to embroiderimages - this is how the word "icon" is translated from Greek. Most likely, the impetus for the emergence of this art of handicraft was the need for mobility of the warriors of Christ, each of whom was required to take an icon on a military campaign. However, wooden images made movement difficult and burdensome, while their exact embroidered copy was practically weightless.
Church embroidery, preserving all the strictcanons and clearly structured traditions, was a blessed, but by no means easy work. Novices and nuns (and before, icons were allowed to be embroidered only in monasteries), sprinkled with holy water, used only face embroidery. At the same time, each time, piercing the canvas with a needle, they would whisper: "Lord!", and returning it from the inside: "Have mercy!" In addition, all embroidery was accompanied by reading the book of the Old Testament and the lives of the saints. Only under such conditions did the meaning of embroidery acquire precisely that blessedness that an icon should bestow on true believers and worshipers.
Then, tiny beads were added to the facial embroidery, which were used to embroider the vestments of saints and the icon frame.
Before the emergence of "secular" concessionsembroidery with an image was the work of the chosen ones. Today, in principle, anyone who is a master of the needle can embroider icons, and it is not necessary to do this only with facial embroidery; a non-canonical, but such a symbolic cross with the power of magical protection is also allowed. But it is still better to do this after certain rituals: communion, the blessing of the priest, reading a prayer. Then the meaning of the embroidery will have the same protective and beneficial character for everyone who turns their eyes to it.
Saint Barbara - patroness of embroiderers
Saint Great Martyr Barbara - patronessembroiderersJust as Mokosh was a female deity among the ancient Slavs, so Orthodox Christians have a patroness who opens the doors of fate for needle and thread masters - Saint Barbara. Her name day is celebrated on December 17. This day is the day of the embroiderer. There is a legend that the holy great martyr, having become the Bride of Christ, was so skillful that it was entrusted to her to embroider the vestments of Jesus. On her day, it was forbidden to wash, sew, or manage the household. But on the day of the embroiderer, it was possible and necessary to program your destiny, calling on the saint for help - to embroider. This was especially necessary for girls who wanted to get married successfully. It was believed that if on this day you start embroidering a wedding towel or a shirt as a gift to your betrothed, the marriage will not only be quick, but also desired and prosperous. (By the way, the history of the origin of this sign has deep pagan roots, the shoots of which harmoniously fit into Orthodoxy.)
Varvara was especially in awe of those who docorrect wedding towels, and not just "draws" patterns on them. Canonical execution: neat embroidery on a solid (not stitched!) three- to five-meter canvas, where the "plus" is embroidered first - the right male end. Lastly, the "minus" - the female left side. Moreover, you need to embroider with one needle, without changing it from the beginning to the end of the work, with silk or woolen threads. Otherwise, the meaning of the embroidery is lost, as is its strength.
Poems about embroidery
For centuries the people have preserved their good traditions,multiplying their history. And about what people love, honor, value, admire and delight in, they usually write poems and songs. This is the highlight of our people: beautifully about the beautiful. Poems about embroidery can be patriotic and lyrical:
I'm holding an ancient embroidered towel.
He clung to me trustfully.
On it is a soul woven into flowers,
The soul of the people is images from eternity.
And they can be very personal, grateful,narrative. And in each poem about embroidery, there is a declaration of love to the magical art that, from the day of its origin, the date of which is lost in the depths of centuries, pleases with a bright pattern of life today. Here, for example, are such poems about embroidery:
Already the cuckoo's great-grandchildren are forging,
And hop with kalina, as if born again.
They live on my embroidery,
How to look - so born again.
Hops, viburnum - ancient attributes of protection of Slavic culture. Without losing their beauty and significance, they perfectly coexist in the color of modern life.
And there is a place for the cross in poems about embroidery:
I caress the wondrous of the songs:
So the cross is embroidered -
Generously frizzy.
A gray evening is getting gray behind the window,
My mother's shirt smiles.
Poems about embroidery are very popular on forums too.embroiderers. Modern craftswomen, composing them, not only glorify the ancient magical sorcery, they continue to write the history of embroidery. Each one of their own - special. But no less beautiful for that.
Video: history of cross and gold embroidery