Parts of the distinctive charm
of the Bulgarian culture are its beautiful carpets and rugs, which decorated
the Bulgarian homes in the past. The typical bright and cheerful colors and
patterns create a unique and impressive atmosphere and comfort. There are two
techniques for ornamentation of decorative fabrics - smooth and tied. The
oldest record of textile carpet ornaments in Bulgaria dates back to the late
eleventh century. In Bulgaria the carpet making reached its zenith during the
Revival Age (18th - 19th century). Some of the famous carpet-making
centers of that time were Gabrovo, Kotel, Sliven, Chiprovtsi, Samokov, Panagyurishte,
etc. The two main urban centers, however, were the towns of Kotel and
Chiprovtsi.The techniques for carpet making bear their names – Kotel and
Chiprovtsi techniques.
*The technology for fabric making was known in our country since
ancient times - from the 6th - 5th century BC, and according to scientists,
carpet weaving began in the 1st century BC.
Bulgarian rugs are doublesided and are weaved on a
vertical loom. There are two common ways to form shapes - the Kotel technique
is characterized by the formation of open-works (embroidery) on the contour of
figures, and the Chiprtsi technique has no open-works.
The oldest Kotel carpets were made of fur and are
known under the name “chols”. Later on the craftsmen began using wool, and by
the midnineteenth century even cotton was added to the carpet making. The
decoration of Kotel carpets is mostly geometric, and later, with the development
of the technique, stylized flowers began to appear as well as animals and human
figures. In many woven carpets one can see the owner’s name, the year of
manufacture and the name of the weaver.
Among the most popular colors are indigo-blue,
bright blue, blazing red, burgundy, olive
and black, but there is always only one dominant
color. Very typical for the carpet coloring is the fact that it is achieved by
natural dyes, for example the green color is derived from walnut leaves. In
Kotel carpet was never an ordinary covering fabric. Even in the richest homes
the carpets were only used to cover the floor of the room, reserved for family
celebrations or for guests. Most typical of the Kotel carpets are the highly
stylized stars with hooks - the curly stars. The craftsmen also weaved images
of objects from the everyday life into the carpets, such as wine vessels, shepherd’s
crooks, etc.
More about the Kotel technique for carpet making
can be learned from the exhibition of Old Kotel Carpets and Fabrics at the
Galatan School. The Galatan school was built in 1869. The exhibition traces the
overall development of the carpet weaving tradition in Kotel - from the rug,
through the classical Kotel carpet, to the contemporary models of weaved
carpets. The exhibited carpets date back to the 18th - 19th century. The second
floor of the building presents an exhibition of unique fabrics in religious and
historical themes.
The Chiprovtsi carpets are made of pure wool and
cotton. These carpets are known for their small geometric motifs based on
triangular forms. The carpets are made with a smooth carpet texture with two
faces with edges (one or more) and a main part. For the coloring of the
Chiprovtsi carpets are used natural dyes as well. The most typical colors are
indigo blue, brown, ocher and green. More about the development of weaving and
the textile industry as a whole can be learned in Sliven. In 1836 there was
established the first factory in Bulgaria, which was a textile factory. Its
founder was the Bulgarian entrepreneur Dobri Zhelyazkov, who studied textile
machinery production in Ukraine, then returned to Bulgaria and with the
permission of the Ottoman authorities he built the first textile factory in
Bulgaria.
Nowadays the only textile museum of its kind, which
tells the history of textile production from antiquity to the present day, is
located in Sliven. In the museum visitors can see many interesting exhibits,
including vertical and horizontal looms, spinning tools, mechanical weaving
machines, etc. One of the most valuable exhibits is a jacquard loom, which is
part of the revolutionary processes in the technology of fabric production.
Special attention is paid to the work of Dobri
Zhelyazkov.
The tradition of carpet-weaving and manufacturing
has continued in Bulgaria to the present day. Masters in these two Bulgarian
towns - Kotel and Chiprovtsi - continue making Chiprovtsi and Kotel carpets in the
traditional technology.
I am providing a link to the website of the textile museum in Sliven, because the website provides virtual tour :
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