Vol.I - The Coptic Orthodox Church

CH. v.] Minor Churches of Old Cairo. 263
The armlets are also of crimson silk-velvet, lined
with silk, and richly adorned with silver embroidery.
They reach as far as the elbow, where they widen
slightly as compared with the wrist, and correspond
to the Greek eiripaviKia. Round each wrist is a
double band filled with a sort of crossbar design : the
space between the two bands is covered with Arabic
writing. Then comes the main part of the sleeve,
which is worked all over with beautiful arabesques
and stars enclosing floriated crosses, in the midst of
which, on the right sleeve, is a figure of the Virgin
Mary holding the child Christ, and on the other the
sword and balance : both these
angel Michael holding
figures are done in fine needle-work embroidery of
choice colours. Next a wide band between two
lines is filled with alternate crosses and stars, both
very intricately worked :
this is followed by another
band of Arabic writing, and finally the elbow-opening
is trimmed with a border like those about the
wrist. Lengthwise also, from wrist to elbow, there
runs a narrow band, crossing all the others. All the
devices on these armlets, and the nimbs on the
figures, are wrought in thread of silver.
The girdle is made of the same stuff as the patrashil
and armlets, but is quite plain, without any
embroidery or other embellishment. The clasps
however are of massive silver : when closed they
show as a single plate of curved metal 7 in. long and
2 in. broad, the angles rounded and the ends slightly
pointed. The joint is covered by a large gilt shieldlike
boss, decked with smaller bosses in rings, and
divided by lines of raised dotwork. At either side
is another large boss worked over with enamel and
set with an enamelled outline of wavy
form : and all