The Department of Rare and Valuable Documents of the H. Denysenko National Library of Ukraine has received an exclusive gift - a beautiful embroidered towel from a respected friend of the library who wished to remain incognito to the general public.
The towel was created to order. It is called "Kholodnyi Yar" and is made on hand-woven cloth, made by hand more than a century ago. Although it is not embroidered in gold and silver, the burgundy and red colors and the embossed vestibule stitching are combined so well that the pattern changes and shimmers in the light, revealing its symbolism and adding integrity to the whole composition.
It is known that the embroidered towel is a spiritual symbol of the Ukrainian people. The ancient system of symbolic combinations in the ornaments is not only the agrarian and ceremonial symbolism of our ancestors, but also an ancient cosmic literacy. The red and white color scheme has a psychological significance of the highest exaltation, solemnity, and optimism.
"The 'Kholodnyi Yar' towel is designed in the tradition of the classic towels of the Kholodnoyarsk region of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which were embroidered by the nuns of the Motronynskyi Monastery. "The original image of the Tree of the Family, typical for such towels, is the motifs of the painting of the Refectory Church of the Kyiv Cave Monastery," the experts said. "The patterns contain a symbolic model of the universe and a number of blessing symbols: the planetary Tree of Life - the embodiment of the idea of elevating life on earth, the goddess Berehynia, the cult of the family, solar signs, etc. All of this, multiplied by the living energy of the Master's hands, works for good, as it has always done." The towel will decorate any space as it measures 350 x 47 cm.
These products are made by the creative workshop of Honored Artist of Ukraine Oleksandra Telizhenko from Cherkasy region. For more than 20 years, she has been creating hand- and machine-embroidered artworks that demonstrate a deep Ukrainian tradition embodied in contemporary works. "The craftswomen preserve folk wisdom and create the latest art of independent Ukraine. The products are exclusive and small-scale, made on the basis of the author's sketches, so they are unique," say grateful customers.
"The towel - as well as a song or a word - contains the soul of the people, whose treasures are endless," says Liudmyla Hunko, head of the Department of Rare and Valuable Documents of the KPI Scientific and Technical Library, and invites you to admire the living amulet.
