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Ottoman Aigrettes

Sultan Murad IV with three aigrettes on his turban.

Aigrette (pronounced [ɛɡrɛt]; from the French for egret, or lesser white heron; Turkish: Sorguç;) in an Ottoman context, refers to the decorative jewelry pins worn in the turbans of high ranking individuals, most notably ruling sultans. In the 19th century, when ottoman fashion favored fezzes over turbans, aigrettes were pinned into a wearer's fez.

Ottoman aigrettes were composed of plumes or shorter feathers, typically taken from from the bird of paradise (but also cranes, herons, peacocks, ostriches, and hawks), set into a gold, often bejeweled socket. The socket is attached to a sturdy pin and further held in place on both sides by hooked chains. The value and splendor of earlier aigrettes was defined by shape and the quality of the goldsmith's workmanship, whereas later aigrettes focused on the size and grandness of the gemstones set into them.

Aigrettes were typically worn with the feathers reaching upwards towards the sky, but there are also documented instances of them being sported in other fashions. In a portrait of Sultan Murad IV (pictured to the right), the sultan sports three aigrettes in his turban, two of which hang down towards his brow with feathers dyed gold and black. His father, Ahmed I, is reported to have similarly wore his emerald-encrusted aigrette with the feathers reaching downwards when visited by the Holy Roman Empire's ambassador. Sultan Murad III, and Mehmed IV are also reported to have worn their aigrettes in a similar fashion. Though the reason for the styling is unknown, it is possible the downwards placement of an aigrette created a more threatening or sinister appearance.

Sultan Osman III (R. 1754-1757) donning a "five" style aigrette.

Sultan Mustafa II (R. 1695-1703) donning a "rose" aigrette.

Types of Aigrettes

There is ample evidence that Ottoman aigrettes came in a multitude of styles and designs. Sockets varied in width and were decorated with several gemstones of various shapes and sizes — rubies, turquoise, emeralds and diamonds, among others, were set in creative and ornate styles that made each Aigrette a unique and precious item highly valued by their owners.

Five Style

Term used for aigrettes formed in a hand-like fan arrangement with five spread-out "fingers." They were also sometimes referred to as "finger aigrettes."

Rose Style

"Rose" referred to flower-shaped aigrettes that featured "smaller sections around a central, dominant shape." Often, rose aigrettes featured a large gemstone set in gold in the center surrounded by smaller gems, with a hole at the top for feathers to slide into.

Ball Style

Ball aigrettes were almost completely spherical, or globular in shape. Ball aigrettes were frequently offered as gifts from Sultans to friend's of the court — particularly to Crimean Khans. Notably, Mustafa II (pictured to the right) gifted a ball aigrette to Khan Selim I Giray as a thank-you for his support in the Austrian Campaign. Giray's son and successor, Qaplan I Giray, also received a ball aigrette during the reign of Sultan Ahmed III.

Although much of an aigrette's value was to the rare gems set into precious metal, there is also evidence that the feathers placed into the sockets — depending on the rarity of the bird from which they came — contributed significantly to the item's splendor. On the aigrette affixed to the top of Süleyman the Magnificent's Venetian Helmet, a turban-like crown designed for the Sultan in 1532 during the Ottoman–Hapsburg wars, venetian historian Mario Sanuto wrote in his diary of the costliness of its feathers, which he identifies to be from the Indian Chameleon bird, or Huma — a mythical bird in Islam thought to never land or touch the ground:

"On the aigrette has been put the plumage of an animal which stays and lives in the air, has very soft feath- ers of various colors, and comes from India; it is called chameleon and is worth a fortune."

Feathers from rare birds, such as the eastern bird of paradise, were also appreciated by upper-classes and royalty of other cultures as well, having been found in in the Kunstkammer of Archduke Ferdinand I, as well as featured in an aigrette brooch worn by Queen Elizabeth I.

Gifting of Aigrettes

The practice of giving aigrettes as political gifts, such as the ones given to the Crimean Khans, is documented in Ottoman history. When the Ottomans stationed ambassadors in London, they presented England's ruling king, George III, with the gift of a diamond aigrette in 1799. In a message to Selim III, the Ottoman grand vizier Yusuf Ziyaüddin Paşa can be seen debating the attributes that would be appropriate for the gift:

"It was petitioned to the dust at the imperial feet for your consideration that a number of aigrettes with the base made from diamonds, by God’s will, were fashioned as a gift to go to Britain [İngiltere’ye gidecek hedīye]. The image of the Great Word [i.e. Allah] was deemed to be contrary to the [British religious] community [ḫilāf-ı millet], and, although appropriate to some extent, the requirements of making a portrait from diamonds instead made it too expensive to set. Therefore, if each will have an image of the radiant tuğra [the sultan’s caligraphic monogram] made from a reasonable number of diamonds, the value will not be compromised, the radiant tuğra will be honoured, [and] the top of the aigrettes will be headed with the distinction of your imperial name."