An Ottoman Wooden Turban Stand and Case, Turkey, 18th century

of domed cylindrical form on a pentagonal base, the lower section painted in red with gilt arabesques, the base with a single line of cursive calligraphy on each face in gilt on a green ground, the wooden case of octagonal form with a deep hinged door with gilt-copper mounts, the decoration composed of inlays of mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell and ivory with panels of symmetrical floral designs alternately with interlocking geometric motifs, the interior lined with green cloth

Couleurs d'Orient, Brussels, 2010

Turkophilia, Paris, 2011

Brussels 2010, p.10

Paris 2011, p.11

The inscription written around the base of the stand is composed of verses in Ottoman Turkish by the poet Mahtumi Vahidi (d.1732). He wrote under two pen-names, including that of mahtumi, which he used for the more popular style of verse sung to the saz. For this poet and his two styles of writing, see The Cambridge History of Turkey: The later Ottoman Empire, 1603-1839, p.499-500. The verses include the line:

destar gibi başım üstünde yerin var
'Like the turban, your place is on top of my head'

The stand appears to be for the sikke, or turban cap, such as those worn by the dervish orders. The inscription would appear to confirm this suggestion. An eighteenth century hat of a form that would be appropriate to this stand is in the collection of the Topkapi Palace Museum (Washington 2000, p.136, no.C14, inv. no. 24/2113).