Delightful wall paintings and sensitive artwork on pottery, statues, religious and funerary objects gives insight into the Minoan love of elaborate textiles. Men and women wear carefully fitted garments, some for rather athletic pursuits (bull leaping) and clearly prefer bright colours. We understand that craftsmen and women were highly skilled in the art of spinning, weaving, dyeing and sewing/millinery, which was not accomplished in isolation. The Minoans also had a reputation for being experienced sailors and traders – quite obviously with an eye for acquiring tasteful style; in design as well as expertise.
We managed to visit a couple of other towns, mostly awash with tourist tat (made cheaply in China), with little success in uncovering locally produced modern textiles. Time sadly was against us to be more thorough. I did read later (on the ferry out, no less) of the inspiring Penelope Ghandi Mission on Crete. It has been established to revive the fine art of weaving. Local craftswomen make traditional and unique Cretan weavings & embroideries. I’ll just have to go back then…some day!
(Whilst searching for some informative links on the topic of Minoan textiles, I came across these: an interesting blog (textileranger) and a short article (unl) that helps in understanding Minoan life & times. By now, you’ve probably realised that curiosity forms my cornerstone rather than a solid learning base. Anyhow, I doubt that I’d live long enough to study textiles in sufficient depth to parallel the extent of our excursions, so skimpy my notes will remain… )
