Coat

The ground of this red silk velvet coat has been divided into sections by rows of silver cord that alternate with thinner gold ones. These encircle the opening, which gives access to a generous pocket on either side of the coat. It is almost impossible to see the red velvet beneath the convoluted lines of metal thread that ooze into every corner, rather like the creeping tendrils of a weed feeling its way through gaps and filling the available space. Two colours of metal thread have been used. They were made by winding flat metal strips around a yellow silk core: small amounts of a reddish or coppery gold outline the silver cords while the rest of the embroidery is worked with glittery yellow gold.

This heavy coat requires no fastenings to keep it in place. Despite this, 22 large buttons have been added. Each one is hand-made by winding silk thread around a core that was usually made of wood or a solid pad of fibre. For the final layer a metal thread was plaited into a pattern using a needle. Each button is decorated with five beads of coral, which was believed to protect against evil. Considering the relative value of coral it is surprising that all five beads were secured using one piece of thread, as they were in danger of being lost if the thread came loose.