“BINDALLI” DRESS FROM THE CLOTHING COLLECTION OF THE KUTAISI HISTORICAL MUSEUM

IRINA UGREKHELIDZE; NINO DOLIDZE; LELA KIKNAVELIDZE

IRINA UGREKHELIDZE Academic doctor, Associate Professor of Akaki Tsereteli State University, Kutaisi, Georgia N. Berdzenishvili Kutaisi State Historical Museum Curator of the Embroidery and Textile Fund http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7982-9927
NINO DOLIDZE Professor of Akaki Tsereteli State University, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Kutaisi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0142-7463
LELA KIKNAVELIDZE Academic doctor, Akaki Tsereteli State University, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Kutaisi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3857-810X

Abstract

A fascinating bridal gown, embellished with gold embroidery and fundamentally different from traditional Georgian attire, is housed in the textile fund of the Kutaisi Historical Museum. The purpose of this work is to identify this garment, to find analogues, to clarify its purpose, origin and distribution area.

The historical-ethnographic method of investigating and describing the museum piece and the subjective-analytical methods of analyzing the illustrative material of this object were the two systematic approach pillars that were employed to achieve the purpose. The analysis focused on the creative composition of needlework as well as the peculiarities of the construction-technological processing. It was discovered during the search for analogues that the Adjara Museum in Georgia is the only location where such bridal attire is preserved. Furthermore, it has a significant international representation in the major museums of America, Europe, and Asia as well as in the museums of practically all Turkish cities. The investigation led to the conclusion that this clothing item had the status of a monument of Turkish cultural heritage. It stands for the ritual dress of a Turkish woman “bindalli” the beginnings of which can be traced to the province of Marashi in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth century. Bindalli first spread to Anatolia and the Balkans, and later to almost the entire territory of the Ottoman Empire. The bindalli garment changed a bit before taking on its final shape; Common features unify all varieties: they are composed of expensive, thick fabric, adorned with relief embroidery stitched in either goldthread or silver thread and it necessarily had a whole lining. It is an extremely precious item for a woman's dowry because it takes a long time to produce. After being used on designated ritual days, bindalli was preserved as a relic, handed on to posterity, and used by many generations before it wore out. Finally, even the faded one was kept tenderly in the family. This garment has proved to be sustainable even in modern times and has become a source of inspiration for Turkish designers.

The result of the research will be important for the identification of similar clothes kept in different museums of Georgia; Information about one of the interesting exhibits of the Kutaisi costume collection will be disseminated to the scholarly community.

Keywords: Wedding dress; Kutaisi Historical Museum; Dress Bindalli; "Dival work"; Ottoman clothes.