Sarah's cartoon for an embroider'd hanging that she
and Harriet wrought together of the Regnalka Margarita Bhozetsa in
full dress armour with coronett. The Regnalka had let Sarah study the
coronett so that she could render it properly, but proprieties prevented
her from wearing it simply for a pose. She did however, put on the belt
for Sarah's benefit, even though she found it uncomfortable and rarely
wore it. The rules of the order required only that the gorgett (or the
alternative cuirass) be worn at all times by all who had taken its vows
except under such circumstances as would normally find them naked. Even
the Lengna had gorgetts, and indeed were expected to wear them whenever
they wore their cloaks. A Katharinian might, when at ease, go barebreasted
under her gorgett if she preferred, as many did in summer, without offence
to any sense of modesty. The Regnalka, however, was never comfortable
without her tunick and undertop. Sarah's work tended to be symmetrical
and stylised whenever her subjects lent themselves to such treatment, and
although at Stephendele this style had been disfavour'd as 'Byzantine', it
was well regarded among Katharinians. Sarah was not, in this sort of
cartoon, much concern'd with facial features, but those indicated here --
heart shaped face, deep set green eyes, fairly long upper lip and chin,
pale complexion, and high cheekbones -- were very typical of almost all
the Bhozetsana, and of many of their subjects as well, Margarita's most
distinctive feature being that while most Bhozetsana had auburn hair, hers
was almost blond. Harriet and Sarah themselves were both fortunate in
that apart from Harriet's rather narrow face, and the permanent overall
blush of Sarah's complexion, neither of them had any features that were at
all unusual among the Sovereign Mother's subjects.
In placing the words Regnalka Margarita Bhozetsa under the feet
of the portrait, Sarah used the standard text form of the script devised
by the Preservers for the Changeless
Speech. Reading from left to right, the first character is equivalent
to the Latin 'R' with an afterstroke to indicate the following
vowel. The absence of the breath stopping diacritical over the 'G'
glyph in 'Margarita' reflects a Katharinian substitution of
-rgh- for -rg-.