Hungarian
embroidery is the same age as other European
embroidery traditions. The oldest embroidery that is
still to be seen in Hungary is the robe of the first
King of Hungary, Stephen I. You can see it in the
Hungarian National Museum. The wife of the king
helped embroider the rich golden silk robe.
Foreign nuns and ladies brought the current
embroidery stitches of the Western cultures to
Hungary and locals enriched them with new stitches
and designs. In the Middle Ages embroidery became a
profession with its own skillful masters who
prepared the lavish pieces worn by emperors and
knights, and today still found in museums around the
country. In the Middle Ages the main influences were
the Byzantine and Gothic styles, and at the end of
the 15 century Turkish and Italian renaissance. This
meeting of the western and eastern influences and
styles was the premise of the birth of unique
Hungarian embroidery.
This style of Hungarian embroidery had its heyday in
the 16th and 17th centuries. The estates of the
noblemen and lords had embroidery workshops where
young girls learned embroidery from their elders and
decorated the textiles of the estate and their own
future household textiles with delicate and
scrumptious motifs and compositions. This style of
embroidery used the influences of the Italian
renaissance as well as the Turkish styles. From the
renaissance comes the symmetry, the delicate rhythm
of floral motifs between the tendrils and the
exuberant floral centerpieces. From Turkish designs
come the asymmetrical compositions, crossing lines,
the simplistic floral drawings, and the very
stylized cypress and flower bushes. Among all
historical influences, this style of embroidery had
the most profound effect on Hungarian embroidery
traditions.
Folk embroidery
There are almost no villages in Hungary where there
is no embroidery. When compared to the above
mentioned noble embroidery, folk embroidery is more
unbound, lax both in its composition and in its
stitches. Floral and figural motifs are not
stylized, rather simplistic and naive. Colors are
the rich main colors, red, blue and black.
Embroidery Heritage in Hungary
Hungary's needlecraft heritage is more prevalent in
household textiles than in clothes and apparel. A
family's financial strength - or lack thereof - was
demonstrated in how many embroidered household
textiles it had. Young girls learned to embroider
very early and didn't marry until they had their
trousseau - their future textiles - ready with the
help of their aunts and mothers. It was a biog honor
to be mentioned as a good embroiderer. Of course
clothes and accessories hold many beautiful
traditional embroideries as well.
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