Λευκαρίτικα

The tradition & historical record

Lefkaritika or Lefkara lace is a handmade lace from Pano Lefkara and Kato Lefkara, Cyprus. Notable characteristics are the hemstitch, satin stitch fillings, needlepoint edgings, white, brown, ecru colours and geometric intricate patterns. In 2009, it was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. ¹

Lefkaritika is a type of white embroidery art from Cyprus, dating back to at least the fourteenth century. It is an evolution from 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 embroider. Lefkaritika reached a higher level of quality, because of the competition between women, as they were considered to be a centerpiece of a dowry. Each woman had to have an extended collection ready for exhibition on her wedding day. This way a lot of the traditional elements were passed from mother to daughter. Many women practiced embroidery as a profession as well. Women embroideresses in Pano Lefkara, 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 visited Cyprus and took a piece of Lefkara lace back to Italy with him, which today decorates Milan Cathedral. Artisans of the lace community continue to produce skilled work as an economic activity among women, as they have for centuries, and some aim to preserve the heritage and traditions. ¹

The largest centers of production used to be the villages of Pano Lefkara and Kato Lefkara. Today these embroideries are manufactured all over Cyprus, especially in the villages of Kato Drys, Vavla, Vavatsinia, Ora, Choirokoitia, Skarinou, Dali and Athienou. ¹

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 and 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. ¹

The most characteristic pattern in Lefkara lace is potamoi (rivers). They made from triangular zig-zags, called kamares (arcs). Contemporary lacemakers can reproduce Lefkara lace with guidance from books of historical information and patterns. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Lefkara lace”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Lefkara lace is lacemaking tradition and intagible cultural heritage of Cyprus, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 4 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ²