Șuba (long and wide coat, lined with fur and worn by men) is a clothing item whose practical and symbolic functions are equally important. For the cold period, it provides thermal comfort and protection against rain, snow or wind. On the other hand, “șuba” is a piece of clothing that communicates information about the social status of its wearer, while also providing an imposing look.
In Hațeg Country, the research carried out in the first half of the last century by Romulus Vuia shows the existence of several variants of clothes worn on top, among which we mention “gluga” (hood), “laibăr” (corsage) and “șuba” (long winter coat). They were made of thick woolen cloth, woven in four shafts and stuffed at the mill machine, locally called “cioreci”. Șuba also presents several variants specific to the Hațeg Country subareas which differ in the ornamentation method and reflect the marital status and the owners’ age.
This week’s object comes from the village of Grădiște, today called Sarmizegetusa, the former capital of Roman Dacia. The wide and complex cut indicates the influences of urban clothing; the lateral gussets are caught on the upper part in tucks that increase the volume of the laps, and the pieces of material are tailored and cut. The decoration of the “white long and thick șuba” is made with the help of rough black woolen threads, locally called “bârnași”, sewn on chest, on collar, on sleeves’ ends, on lap and gussets. From spot to spot, pink wool motifs alternate and the edge of the piece is also marked with a braided polychromatic string.
The name of the material - “cioreci” – identical with the pants made of this material is an indication of the archaic character of the word, but also of the garment piece, such lexical contagions also existing in other ethnographic areas, an example in this sense being the term “suman” which indicates both the material and the coat made of it.
Text: Sebastian Paic, MET museographer
Photo: George Ciupag, photo-video museographer, MET digital image processing