An Ottoman Turban Stand or Kavukluk

Turkey, late 19th Century Carved, gilded and polychrome decorated; the shapeded shelf, supported on a foliate bracket, the tall pierced back panel with symmetrical designs of flowerheads in circles. Old losses and repairs.

(Reception at the Court of Sultan Selim III (1761-1807) at the Topkapi Palace)

The turban size in the Ottoman Empire provided information about the rank and position of the owner. Most surviving turban stands are bracketed wall pieces like this example.

Decoration differed depending on the region within the Ottoman Empire. The stand would have held the turban winding and its silk finial cap – the scaffolding around which the material was bound.