Woman wearing a Turban

This elegant brooch has been painted by Valentina Maslova from the village of Fedoskino. On the oval piece of mother-of-pearl the artist has painted the beautiful portrait of an upper class lady. She wears the rich red dress and the blue turban.
Turbans were a popular fashionable accessory in Europe as early as the 15th century. During the war against the Turks, the remote way of life and foreign dress of the 'enemy of Christendom' proved to be very fascinating. Many European artists created portraits of women wearing turbans as well as Russian masters of portrait painting such as Brulov, Borovikovsky, Timashevsky, Kiprensky and many, many others.
The oval pearl plate on which the portrait is painted is set into the frame made out of German silver. The portrait is framed with swirling metal patterns. The work is signed with the artist's name, Fedoskino and the year of 2009.