By Hand: Embroideries from the Dowries of Spata

The beauty and richness of the embroidery tradition of Spata, in the Mesogeia region of Attica, are recorded through old embroideries that were created for the dowries of young women. The publication includes valuable information on the social, economic, and cultural context in which these handmade works were produced, as well as personal testimonies about the materials, techniques, and customs that accompanied the making of a dowry in Spata.
Within its pages survives a wealth of handcrafted artistry—largely unknown to our museums—created by women who worked with effort, devotion, care, love, imagination, and refined aesthetic sensibility, in the hope of securing a “good fortune.”

Scientific Editing – Texts: Evgenia Dafni
Research and Material Collection: Friends of Knowledge
Spata, 2020.