Sarka

Sarka, a women's short jacket with long sleeves, made of black felt, with intricate applied decoration. It consists of two front pieces that extend to the sides to join the trapezoidal piece at the back. The front has a deep oval-shaped opening that becomes straight at the lower part, where the edges are fastened together with three hook-and-eye clasps. The lining of both sides of the vertical opening at the lower part of the front, is reinforced with red satin. The sleeves widen towards the edge and are sewn vertically onto the body, with inner seams. The edges of all the openings are covered with sewn-on decoration of twisted cord made of golden thread, which forms floral motifs, curved branches, and leaves. The finish consists of a thin band with a chain-like pattern. This applied decoration, with variations in the patterns, is very common in Cypriot sarkes. It typically covers the bottom edges of the sleeves, the opening of the chest and the edge of the lower part of the sarka at the waist. The garment is lined with beige cotton fabric. A similar type of sarka, with an almost identical sewn-on decoration, is worn by the woman in a couple’s portrait in festive costume, at the Saint Herakleidios monastery fair in the late 19th century (photograph in the Album of Max and Magda Ohnefalsch-Richter; see Marangou and Malekos 1990, p. 70a).   Dimensions: height 37 cm., width 29 cm. Sleeves: length 50 cm., width 18 cm. at the top and 23 cm. at the bottom.