A festive towel decorated with intricate embroidery is a fascinating example of folk decorative and applied art from the collection of the Lipetsk Regional Museum of Local Lore. The towel is made of linen, the most common material in the Lipetsk land. It is home-woven and has a patterned design.
In the old days, brides would present the groom with patterned towels at their wedding. Bread and salt would be served to guests on an ornate towel. Tablecloths that covered the festive table were also decorated with embroidery. The more complex and skilled the patterns on those woven products were, the higher the bride’s status rose in the eyes of society. It was believed that she would become a skilled hostess in her home. The towel from the museum collection was woven by Feodosiya Petrovna Voronina, who lived in the village of Vorobyovka in the first half of the 20th century (now part of the Khlevensky District, Lipetsk Oblast). The rich embroidery on the ends of the towel was created by the craftswoman’s sister Anna Mikhailovna. Decorative elements such as a strip of blue silk and factory lace with floral designs adorn the edges of the towel.
Old folk embroidery is always symbolic and metaphoric, vividly reflecting the spiritual life of the people and their artistic culture. The embroidery on the towel from the museum collection was created using the tambour seam technique, with threads in two colors traditional to Russian culture — red and black. The central figure in the composition is a stylized woman with raised arms, with birds perched on her shoulders. According to some interpretations, this is an ancient image of the pagan goddess Mokosh, a symbol of motherhood and fertility. Flanking her are two oncoming fantastic horses with seven tails. The horse motif is one of the most commonly used zoomorphic symbols in Russian embroidery, representing the power of the sun and the prosperity of peasants. These images of horses were often used on towels and other household items, as they were integral to important rituals in Russian culture. Behind the horses, there are male figures with birds perched on their raised arms. Beneath the feet of the central figures, there is a band of floral decoration, symbolizing fertile land.
