Headdress (Sinsile)

Date1880-1920

Object GeographyCentral Asia

MediumSilver, carnelian

DimensionsBand: 7 1/2 x 15 x 1/2 in. (19.1 x 38.1 x 1.3 cm)
With pendants: 20 x 15 x 1/2 in. (50.8 x 38.1 x 1.3 cm)

ClassificationsMetalwork

Credit LineGift of Mr. Stephen Van C. Wilberding, 2009

Object numberSN11187.20

This form of a Turkomen headdress ornament could be worn by girls of marriageable age, or by married women, so it is somewhat unique in its flexible social function. The central portion is composed of linked discs, while the side pendants have many chains which frame the face. The intricacy of this example is impressive, with a multiplicity of embossed rectangular pieces attached together, surmounted by three symbols of wild mountain rams' horns, another reference to ancestors and the continuity of the tribe.

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