Armenian Lace Volume 44.1
An Unbroken Thread
The Story of Armenian Lace
ARMENIAN NEEDLE LACE (janyak) by Marie Pilibossian (born 1898 Gesaria-Kaiseri, Turkey, died 1986 Los Angeles, USA), of thread and needle used as knotting tool, 17.7 centimeter diameter, early to mid-20th century. Fowler Museum at UCLA, X80.1165; Gift of Marie Pilibossian.
INSTALLATION SHOT. Photograph courtesy of the Fowler Museum at UCLA.
“Janyak: Armenian Art of Knots and Loops,” presented by the Fowler Museum at UCLA, showcases lace made by Marie Pilibossian, a survivor of the Armenian genocide that began in 1915. But the small, jewel-like show is about much more than one woman’s artistry, for Armenian janyak—or needle lace—has a history that stretches back centuries and straddles oceans.
Alongside a small selection of the snowflake-like textiles, curator Gassia Armenian displays a photo of a statuette depicting Arubani—the Urartian goddess of fertility, family and art—wearing the distinctive lace. The statuette dates to the 8th century B.C. Another photo shows a 13th-century khatchkar (or cross-stone) carved with roundels in the same intricate patterns, reminding visitors that the enduring aesthetic was not limited to textiles.
Janyak was used for household textiles (including quilts and table coverings) as well as clothing and accessories. Made by women, its secrets were passed down from mother to daughter; the exhibition includes two pieces by a mother/daughter pair of refugees, Eva Nevart Kevranbashian and Agnes Devletian, made in Beirut in the 1920s and 1940s, respectively. Like quilting, Armenian lacemaking was often a communal activity, undertaken while socializing with female friends and family. It became synonymous with women’s skill, taste and industry; fertility, family and art continued to go hand in hand.
ARMENIAN NEEDLE LACE (janyak) by Marie Pilibossian, of thread and needle used as knotting tool, 23.5 centimeter diameter, early to mid-20th century. Fowler Museum at UCLA, X80.1159; Gift of Marie Pilibossian.
While janyak has always connected Armenians to their past, it took on an outsized role after the genocide, which killed more than one million people and displaced hundreds of thousands more. Today, there are Armenian communities in one hundred and six countries on six continents; the largest one outside Armenia is in Los Angeles, where the Fowler Museum is located. This vast diaspora is linked by shared cultural heritage, including janyak.
Orphanages for displaced Armenian girls taught lacemaking as a marketable skill. But janyak continued to be a domestic craft, as well. Displaced women like Pilibossian—who emigrated to America in 1922, eventually reaching Los Angeles—brought this tactile tradition to their adopted countries. In 1923, as Armenian refugees began to settle in the U.S., Nouvart Tashjian published the Manual of Armenian Needle Lace, the first how-to book on janyak, to teach American women the centuries-old technique that was perfect for making “round doilies and medallions.”
Janyak consists of knots and loops made using only a needle and thread, without a base material, similar to crochet. Though it may look strikingly modern in its precise geometric symmetry, closer inspection reveals that each piece incorporates traditional symbols and patterns tied to its ancient Armenian roots. These recurring motifs can be combined in infinite ways, becoming visible when the lace is placed on a dark garment or surface. Common imagery includes a branching “tree of life”; a triangle representing Mount Ararat, a landmark sacred to Armenians that symbolizes the homeland; Armenian folk dancers, their arms raised and linked in an unbroken line; and a spiral, a symbol of eternity.
Certain motifs and patterns were unique to individual cities, regions, or, later, countries; without altering its core imagery and techniques, janyak evolved over time and distance, as the earlier pieces in the show illustrate. Pilibossian, who became a social worker, never married and had no children; her lace was not destined to furnish a trousseau or a family home. Yet she continued to make janyak as a way of communing with her home and her people. She gifted her collection to the Fowler Museum in 1980, six years before her death, ensuring that the thread remains unbroken.
“Janyak: Armenian Art of Knots and Loops” is on display through February 2024 at the Fowler Museum at UCLA, 308 Charles E. Young Drive North, Los Angeles, California 90024. Visit their website at fowler.ucla.edu.
ARMENIAN NEEDLE LACE (janyak) by Marie Pilibossian, of thread and needle used as knotting tool; 26.7 centimeter diameter, early to mid-20th century. Fowler Museum at UCLA, X80.1162; Gift of Marie Pilibossian.
Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell is an LA-based fashion historian, curator and journalist and a frequent contributor to Ornament. Her most recent book is Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the 20th Century. An encyclopedia of fashion history, Chrisman-Campbell can effortlessly communicate juicy examples of fashion faux pas from the seventeenth century through the twentieth. A more sobering tale is communicated in this issue, as she gives readers a glimpse into “Janyak: Armenian Art of Knots and Loops,” an exhibition on display at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. This small show presents the centuries-old tradition of Armenian needle lace, or janyak. For a displaced people, this textile-making practice has provided a way to hold onto their roots across a global diaspora.
