Introduction to Epirote silversmithing
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This course introduces the historical events surrounding Epirus (the greater geographical area of Ioannina) and silversmithing. The text is from the Guide of the Silversmithing Museum of PIOP, written by Marina Noutsou and published by PIOP in Athens in 2017.
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The first mention to the town of Ioannina with its present name is to be found in the proceedings of the 8th Ecumenical Synod of
Constantinople, in 879, which are signed among others by “Zacharias, Bishop of Ioannina”. Brief mentions also exist as of the 11th
century (in an imperial sigillion of Basil II, i.e. a decree bearing his seal, or yet in Anna Komnene’s Alexiad), from which the existence
of a small fortified town within the castle emerges.
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The town expands and is fortified anew after the sack of Constantinople by the Latin Crusaders in 1204, when members of noble Constantinople families establish themselves in the region. Michael I Komnenos Doukas Angelos, known as Michael Angelos,
founder of the Despotate of Epirus, occupies a particular place among them. Under him, Ioannina evolves into the second most
important centre of the Despotate after Arta, before becoming its capital a century later, in 1358.
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The town’s subsequent prosperity remains strong even after 1430, when it is conquered by the Ottoman Turks. Drafted in Greek, Sinan Pasha’s “Rule” (orismόs) stipulates that its inhabitants will continue to hold their land according to the old regime governing land tenure, while the guild system also adapts to the new conditions with minimal modifications.
More than a century later, in 1574, the population of the town of Ioannina numbers 7,000 inhabitants.
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Over the next century, some of the earliest known signed works are crafted, destined for the Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai: a silver gilt cross from Arta (1626) and a bishop’s mitre, an offering of Ioannina’s inhabitants to the same monastery
(1636). Exquisitely crafted objects, these works were created during a difficult period of reconstruction of the town of Ioannina,
which followed its total destruction by the Ottoman Turks due to the rebellion of Dionysius the Philosopher, in 1611.By now, the town’s inhabitants have been stripped of both fortunes and privileges. However, in spite of the prevailing adverse
conditions, the development of silversmithing seems to have been favoured. In 1635, the right to land tenure is abolished, resulting
in many of the town’s Christians either emigrating, or turning to other professional occupations, such as trade and artisanship.During the last decades of the 17th century, i.e. as of around 1670, Ioannina enters a new period of economic development. According to Evliya Çelebi, a Turkish traveller of the times, Ioannina is a large, flourishing town, with many shops in its market.
Among them, those of the goldsmiths, which already have a reputation as silversmithing has become synonymous to Ioannina and the surrounding region.
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Epirote silversmiths are reputed, whether they reside in their land or have emigrated. Many of them sign their (principally ecclesiastical) works and, as the 18th century dawns, the number of silversmiths from Kalarrytes multiplies. Important signed examples of outstanding craftsmanship include the gospel cover made in 1671 by Anastassios Sougdouris for the Monastery of Simonopetra on Mount Athos; the liturgical vessels for the Monastery of Proussos signed, in the 18th century, by Ioannis and Georgios from Kalarrytes; and, the silver chandelier crafted in 1752 by members of the Sougdouris family for the Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai. The unsigned works, both of an ecclesiastical and of a secular nature, that can be attributed to Epirote craftsmen are even more numerous.
In 1788, when Ali Pasha becomes the ruler of Ioannina, the town has a population of just over 45,000 inhabitants and is a flourishing centre of Modern Greek Enlightenment. Over the following years, the production of precious items reaches its peak. Kalarrytes, a Vlach village in the Tzoumerka mountain range, emerges as a centre of (mainly ecclesiastical) silversmithing. Trade and artisanship flourish.
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The conditions change dramatically as of 1820, when a rift comes about between Ali Pasha and the Sultan. This leads to rebellions and to the destruction of Ioannina and Kalarrytes. Many eminent Kalarrytian silversmiths emigrate to the Ionian Isles, amidst a more general tendency among Epirote craftsmen to move abroad. The plague epidemic that followed shortly after Ali Pasha’s fall from power will be an even greater blow for the guilds. Over the following years, between 1822 and 1839, an effort is made to revive the guilds, which own twenty six shops in Ioannina. The deathblow and subsequent decline come after 1869, when the market of Ioannina is destroyed by a fire instigated by the vali (governor) of Epirus, Rashim Pasha, so as to redesign the area and replace the wooden constructions with new, stone-built workshops.
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Silversmithing in Ioannina rebounds again towards the end of the 19th century, a period when many of the modern workshops
along today’s Averoff Street (formerly called Kamares Street) are also established. As of that time, a new period of prosperity
begins, which gradually culminates after the town’s liberation in 1913. The workshops keep pace with the new developments,
which progressively lead to their industrialisation. A tendency to mass production emerges and different products are proposed,
so as to serve the needs of a new clientele: the rising bourgeois/middle class.The mid-20th century is considered a turning point that marks the end of the preindustrial period and the transition to industrialisation.
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