Wednesday, 15 April 2009

Greek Key Pattern: Inspirations

The Greek Key Pattern is becoming a key motif in interior design and rather than present contemporary examples, I thought I would look back to some very early examples and ways in which it has been appropriated in more recent times.


Silk dress with velvet Greek key pattern trim, 1855. This was worn by a girl aged about four years. From The Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green, London



Mosaic floor illustration from classicaljournal.org





In the lobby of The Longacre Theater, Broadway recently restored at http://wirednewyork.com/forum




Parts of the Phillip ivory shield found in the Vergina Tomb, Central Macedonia, Greece at
ancient-medieval-macedonian-history.blogspot.com



Directoire gown worn with red shawl with Greek key border, from Costume Parisien, 1799 at
http://www.tetradequestrian.com




Cast iron Greek Revival style balcony at http://www.hiddenhousehistory.co.uk


A detail from the former Detroit Savings Bank from pinehurst19475 at Flickr




Mosaic floor from http://mosaicartsource.wordpress.com


Top: Archaeological Museum in Milan, (Italy). Fragment of an ancient Roman (1st century BC) mosaic. Picture by Giovanni Dall'Orto
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8 comments:

  1. pve design15 April 2009 at 07:47

    carpe k'iam. (d'iam)
    you have seized some great greek key patterns.
    stunning.
    pve

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Antiques Diva™16 April 2009 at 22:28

    I really enjoyed this post on the "eternity symbol". My husband and I wear this symbol on our wedding bands!

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  3. P.Gaye Tapp at Little Augury17 May 2009 at 18:53

    I have some of the Costume Parisien- I am taken most with the ones that are half turned or with back to- like this one. You would know maybe- why so many like this? faces hard to do? G

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  4. Rose C'est La Vie18 May 2009 at 03:39

    It's a puzzle isn't it. I personally think faces at any angle are more tricky than straight on. Maybe it's something to do with the cut of the clothes!!

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  5. Anonymous4 August 2009 at 21:24

    it is my belief that the Greek key design is related to the labyrinth in some way. It may have preceded the labyrinth or was inspired by the labyrinth.

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  6. Rose C'est La Vie5 August 2009 at 05:49

    Thank you for that Anonymous. I had never thought about the labryinth
    but it's a fascinating theory. The presence of what is now seen as the swastika can come as a shock. I think the key pattern has many secrets!

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  7. Anonymous3 March 2010 at 07:40

    Central Macedonia, Greece woooow !

    MACEDONIA WAS NEVER GREEK YOU GYPSI-AFRICANS !

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rose C'est La Vie3 March 2010 at 08:41

    Oops, sorry to offend. What's with the gypsi-african bit? A historic reference, no doubt. I'm of the anglo-saxon variety myself.

    ReplyDelete