This publication is the result of Yevhen and Tetiana Prychepiys’ many years of research and enthusiasm. For five years, they traveled around Ukrainian villages amassing a collection of embroidery from the Vinnytsia Subdnistria region. Yevhen Prychepiy, PhD, did the comparative research on the symbolism of embroidered ornaments, their structure, and the typical signs found in Eastern Podillian embroidery. It is this research and the Prychepiy’s unique collection that are presented in Embroidery of Eastern Podillia. Illia Pavlov and Maria Norazian designed the book.
The Prychepiys’ collection, which they gathered from 2001 to 2008, has been on display at the Ivan Honchar Museum since 2014, when the couple donated it on the occasion of Yevhen’s 75th birthday.
“We never felt like the owners in the full sense of the word. One cannot possess the wind, cannot possess the sea, cannot possess a song, cannot possess authenticity. […] The term ‘custodians’ suits us best. We were able to keep this for some time. We had a need to amass this collection. We are not altruists, but hedonists in the best sense of the word.” —Tetiana Prychepiy at the ceremony bestowing the collection to the museum.
The book contains a large number of detailed illustrations of embroidered cloths from the early and mid-20th century, and it should interest anyone who studies ethnography, design, or the textile arts.
