Interior textiles

The museum has a rich collection of textiles, most of which have been donated by Rigan families. These pieces are brilliant handiwork made in different techniques and decorated with Art Nouveau ornaments. In the early 20th century, textiles had a prominent place in the interiors of apartments as housewives who most often were excellent needlewomen were weaving, sewing and embroidering themselves. Each room in the apartment was richly decorated. Embroidered curtains hung on the windows, decorative cushions were aligned on sofas and chairs, tops of tables, cupboards and chests of drawers were covered with tablecloths and doilies, while pyramids of pillows were artistically arranged on beds. Windows and curtains were the main accent of each room. There were two types of curtains: thick and net curtains. Thick curtains were predominantly made of linen, wool and velvet and embroidered with ethnographic patterns and stylised ornaments of plants. Net curtains were usually sewn from thin batiste, and embroidered or crocheted. The museum also has a large collection of tablecloths and doilies. They are mostly made of linen and cotton and embroidered in different techniques. One of the most modern techniques at the time was Richelieu or cutwork embroidery with raised stitch ornamental patterns. These items look particularly decorative and sophisticated, often becoming the main accent in the room. Housewives were keen on making exquisite bed linen. They sewed bed sheets with lace edges, embroidered and crocheted pillowcases and particularly sumptuous covers over the piles of pillows. Kitchens and bathrooms boasted richly embroidered towels that were pride and joy of every housewife. There were special wooden racks made specifically for “show towels” usually adorned with sophisticated embroidery. The museum holdings have a very large collection of towels since they were an integral part of every young woman’s dowry. Thus, they were woven, embroidered and decorated in various ways to show the outstanding craftsmanship and exquisite taste of their maker.  

The museum collection of the textiles of the Art Nouveau period is particularly diverse and stands out with the immaculate quality of needlework.

Curtains

Tablecloths

Napkins

Tea towels

Bags

Pillowcases