Lefkaritika or Lefkara Lace is a handmade lace from

Pano Lefkara Pano Lefkara ( el, Πάνω Λεύκαρα) is a village on the island of Cyprus famous for its lace, known as lefkaritika in (Greek: λευκαρίτικα) and silver handicrafts. The village takes its name from the white of its silica and lime ...

Cyprus. Notable characteristics are the hemstitch, satin stitch fillings, needlepoint edgings, white, brown, ecru colours and geometric intricate patterns. in 2009, this traditional craft of lace-making was inscribed on the Representative List of the

Intangible Cultural Heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. Int ...

History

Lefkaritika is the characteric type of

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...

art in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

, dating back to at least the fourteenth century. It falls under the category of white

art of Cyprus. It is the evolution of an older type, called " asproploumia". The main stitches of "asproploumia" survived in the newest type of Lefkaritika. New stitches and motifs are added depending on the skill and creativity of the embroideress. Lefkaritika soon reached a higher level of quality, because of the competition between women, since they were considered to be a center piece of a dowry. Each girl had to have an extended collection ready for exhibition on her wedding day. This way a lot of the traditional elements were past from mother to daughter. Many women practiced embroidery as a profession as well. Women embroideresses in

, called "ploumarisses" organised their production from home. Men from Lefkara, called "kentitarides", were merchants and they traveled across Europe and Scandinavia. According to tradition, in 15th century

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

visited Cyprus and took a Lefkara Lace back to Italy with him, which today decorates Duomo Cathedral in Milan.

Centers of production

The greatest centers of production used to be

and

Kato Lefkara Kato Lefkara ( el, Κάτω Λεύκαρα) is a village in the Larnaca District of Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Pe ...

villages. Today these embroideries are manufactured all over Cyprus, especially in villages,

Kato Drys Kato Drys ( el, Kάτω Δρυς) is a small village in Cyprus, southwest of Larnaca. It is near the villages of Pano Lefkara (4 km), Kato Lefkara (4 km), and Vavla (6 km). Its average altitude is 520 meters above sea level. The ...

Vavla Vavla ( el, Βάβλα) is a small village in Larnaca District, Cyprus. Its population in 2011 was 52. References Communities in Larnaca District {{cyprus-geo-stub ...

Vavatsinia Vavatsinia ( el, Βαβατσινιά) is a village in the Larnaca District of Cyprus, east of Agioi Vavatsinias Agioi Vavatsinias ( el, Αγίοι Βαβατσινιάς) is a village in the Larnaca District of Cyprus, 3 km north of O ...

Ora ORA or Ora may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ora'' (film), a 2011 experimental dance film * Rita Ora (born 1990), British-Albanian singer-songwriter and actress * ''Ora'' (Jovanotti album), 2011 * ''Ora'' (Rita Ora album), 2012 * "Ora" ...

Choirokoitia Khirokitia (sometimes spelled Choirokoitia; el, Χοιροκοιτία , suggested meaning ''Pig-cradle'', from 'pig, boar' + 'place of origin, cradle'; tr, Hirokitya) is an archaeological site on the island of Cyprus dating from the Neolit ...

Skarinou Skarinou ( el, Σκαρίνου, tr, Iskarinu) is a village in the Larnaca District of Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolia ...

Dali Dali or Dalí may refer to: Chinese history * Kingdom of Dali (937–1253 AD), centered in modern Yunnan * Kingdom of Nanzhao or Dali, Kingdom of Dali's predecessor state * Dali, Emperor Daizong of Tang's third and last regnal period (766–779) ...

and

Athienou Athienou ( el, Αθηένου or , ) is a village in Larnaca District, Cyprus. It is one of only four villages located within the United Nations Buffer Zone, the other three being Pyla, Troulloi and Deneia. Today, Athienou has a population of a ...

Materials and technique

The first Lefkara Lace was made from the local white cotton fabric produced in Cyprus. A combination of stitches and cuts is used. The large embroideries called "tagiades" are added to "dantela venis" ("Venice Lace"), "pittota", "gyroulota", "liminota" patterns. Their name comes from the Italian "'' Punto Tagliato''", a kind of a cut design popular in Italy during the 16th century, According to the Cyprus Handicraft Service the different motifs for Lefkara Lace add to more than 650. The most characteristic pattern in Lefkara Lace is "potamoi" ("rivers"). They made from triangular zig-zags, called "kamares" ("arcs").

References

{{Lace_types Lace Textile arts of Cyprus Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity