Woman’s overdress - telogreya ("body warmer")
Russia
XVII century. Reconstruction of the XX century
Patterned silk (China. XVII century), ribbons; weaving, handmade tailoring
Back length: 140 cm; flap length: 135 cm
From: the Commission for Metro of MDSAMC (Moscow Department of the State Academy for the History of Material Culture), 1935
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A unique women's clothing of the XVII century was found in the masonry of the Kitay-gorod’s wall - the second ring of Moscow fortifications after the Kremlin, built in 1535-1538. It was discovered in 1935 during the construction of the first line of the Moscow metro, when most of the northern and eastern walls of Kitay-gorod were demolished. When it was found it looked like a compressed clump of fabric. Restoration work discovered the woman’s overdress with oblique wedges on its sides, long folding sleeves and button fastening with buttons made of put together bundles of a cord. Small oval-shaped cuts on its shoulders and narrow decorative sleeves that were tied behind its back resembled a silhouette of telogreya (in Russian it means a "body warmer") – the upper open-worn dress, that was widely worn until the end of the XVII century.
The dress was made of valuable Chinese silk and could belong to a woman from a prosperous urban circle.
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