A large, baby blue blanket – that could be used as a throw, comforter, or piece of decorative wall art. This woven coverlet is made from a soft cotton and wool mix, and fits easily on a standard double bed. The piece was produced in the 1950s in Chalkidiki, in Northern Greece, and consists of two identically sized panels, hand-stitched together to create a larger blanket. This technique was necessary due to the looming machines of the day only being able to weave a blanket of a certain width, so if you wanted to create something larger you had to turn to the needle and thread.

This item has been stored in a trunk for a number of years – as a result there are some small moth repellent tablet stains, but nothing too distracting.

This blanket is not just a fantastic piece of folk art. The tradition in this part of Greece is that young girls, in preparation for their marriage dowry, must produce a huge amount of textile products with the help of their mothers and grandmothers. When the time comes to get married they display their wares to their village, taking them on a parade to their groom's house whilst accompanied by music and dance. The dowry law in Greece ended in 1982, but the tradition continues in some rural parts of the country to this day.

CREATOR: Unknown

PLACE OF ORIGIN: Chalkidki, Greece

DATE OF MANUFACTURE: 1960s

PERIOD: 1960 - 1969

MATERIALS & TECHNIQUES: Cotton / wool mix

CONDITION: Good vintage condition

WEAR: Some minor wear, to be expected given a fabric of this age.

LENGTH: 198cm | 77.9in

WIDTH: 175cm | 68.8in

Request more information