Blueprint dyeing, a traditional Hungarian cloth dyeing technique, has been admitted to the UNESCO intangible world heritage list, the UN educational, scientific and cultural body’s committee said at its Wednesday meeting in Port Louis, Mauritius.
The technique, which was nominated jointly by Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, spread in central Europe in the 18th and 19th century. A pattern was traced on cotton or silk with a water resistant material and then the fabric dipped into indigo dye, giving it a characteristic and often intricate beauty.
UNESCO countries signed an agreement on preserving intangible world heritage in 2003. Of Hungarian achievements, the Kodály music education method, the Mohács Busó festival, the “dance house” method to preserve Hungarian folk dances, Matyó folk art and traditional falconry have been admitted to the list.
via MTI
featured photo: Ildikó Tóth, Hungarian blueprint dyeing artist