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The world of felt |
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June 27 -September 10 2007. Exhibition "The world of felt: (clothes and articles of interior decoration from the RME collections).The exhibition demonstrates felt objects made in traditional ways of different peoples of Russia. Many of them are shown the first time.
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The world of felt
The exhibition demonstrates felt objects made in traditional ways of different peoples of Russia. Many of them are shown the first time.
Today the felt is both traditional and modern material.
The felt was the only type of textile which served to individual during his entire life for many peoples, especially for nomadic ones. People slept on the felt, put on felt clothes, and covered their horses with felt horse-covers. The ancient ancients believed that felt protected them against evil spirits and hostile powers, saved them from heat and chill.
Generally the felt was made of sheep wool. Due to its flaky upper lay named cuticle wool threads when treated with hot water and steam could be in mesh, the quality on which the principle of felting was based. First felts might have appeared not until the sheep, horse and dog were domesticated, because the wool of wild sheep had no cuticle and was not good for felting. Therefore, researchers date the beginning of felt history by 5-6 millennia B.C. the time of horse and dog domestication which made possible herding of sheep in large flocks. From this moment the felt-making of domestic goods became essential for many peoples.
Usually the felt was made in form of cloths of different thickness. The thinnest felts were used as head-mantles, the thick ones served for armors, footwear and yurt covers.
There are several ways of felt decoration and ornamenting: pattern introducing in the process of felting, felt, fabric and leather appliqu?, mosaic technique with use of decorative stitch, embroidery, decoration with beads and shells, painting.
The main felt-making traditions survived till the present day. Modern Turkmen are the keepers of ancient Iranian tradition when pattern was introduced in the moment of felting. Today they still make their felts just as it was used to be done in the ancient times. The favorite colors of Turkmen felts were white, red, and black and the main pattern was stylized ram horn.
The pattern was laid out on a mat, which was rolled, and then the process of felt-making began.
The Paziruk tradition named after the famous felt curtain, found in a Paziruk mound is distinguished by the finest appliqu? of extremely bright colors. Felt appliqu? is still used for decoration of felt articles.
The tradition of making plain felts entirely decorated with minute senew stitches is still alive in Buriatia. First examples of such felts were found in the Interior Mongolia.
While women used to make small items, felting of large pieces was considered to be men's work. For example a yourt cover prepared for felting was rolled on a stick and sewn in leather. Later the stick was tied to stirrups of a saddled horse, which dragged it till the felt was made.
The Slavic peoples didn't made genuine felts. But they knew so-called semi-felts, that is woven and later slightly felting materials. The typical example of such material is well known cloth wool, which from the ancient times was used for outdoor clothing, felt headdresses and footwear, in particular for felt boots.
The exhibition highlights felt objects of Russians, and Central Asian Kazakhstan peoples, Caucasian, Volga and Ural peoples.
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