The artefact of November, as proposed by the Transylvanian Museum of Ethnography, is a men’s vest form Șicula, Arad county, locally called “zobon”.
The vest is a sleeveless clothing item, made of velvet or felt, split in front, being worn by both women and men, over the shirt.
The men’s vest, with inventory no. C.5465, has recently entered the museum patrimony, initially being part of a private collection, which the museum purchased in October 2021. The 35 pieces of women’s and men’s folk wear, but also the interior textiles which form the collection, belonged to the family members of Mrs. Baciu Bogdana from Șicula, Arad county, the ethnographic area of “Defileu” and “Crișul Alb” plain, the Ineu subzone.
Strongly influenced by the old Austrian military uniform, the vest is part of the men’s folk costume and it’s worn over the shirt.
The garment, called “zobon” in Șicula, is tailor-made from black velvet, locally called “barșon lins”/“peliş”, richly decorated with “șinioare cu încârnituri” (strings) worked on the sewing machine, from black, gray, blue and yellow threads, arranged on the entire surface, in front and at the back. The used ornamental motifs are floral stylizations (tulip, garlands). On the chest, the vest (“laibăr”) has black cotton braid stitches, locally called “goland” (string), arranged in parallel rows, in the form of brandenburg stiches. The vest edges and the collar are hemmed with black cotton braid and colored thread stitches: gray, blue, yellow, red. In addition to the cotton braid, on the right side of the chest, there are metal buttons (locally called “goambe”, “goloambe”), which is another element of decoration. At the bottom, on the lateral, the “zobon” has two lappet pockets decorated with black cotton braid and hemmed with red and yellow serrated felt on the edges.
Inside, the vest is doubled with white and blue cotton cloth, and the pockets are faced with red “irha” (strip of thin processed leather). On the right pocket, on the “irha”, the year of manufacture “1932” is marked by yellow thread, and on the left pocket, there are marked, also by yellow thread, the initials of the owner “S” and “G”, separated by a floral motif - tulip.