Jewelled Turban Ornament (Sarpech)

This jewelled turban ornament (known as a sarpech) consists of ten openwork diamond-set-panels each arranged in a floral spray, held together by golden cords and surmounted by a plume of tapering form curving to the left, from which two cabochon emeralds and a drop-shaped pearl are suspended. Below, a fringe of fifteen cabochon cut emerald pendants and two pearls hang. The reverse is decorated with equally rich floral polychrome enamelling. Turban ornaments formed a vital part of ceremonial Indian dress, and according to Mughal sumptuary laws, could only be worn by royalty, blood relatives of a chief, and honoured individuals. While it is believed that the sarpech derived in form from the 10th century AH/16th century CE jewelled aigrette – a type of ornament that became fashionable in India as a result of European influences – during the 11th-12th centuries AH/17th and 18th centuries CE it evolved from a single, vertical jewelled plume to an increasingly elaborate, horizontal band. Derived from the composite Persian word sar (meaning head, front or forepart) and pech (screw), such jewelled ornaments acquired special importance as symbols of hierarchical power throughout the Mughal period.