Headdress

This object is from the collection of Natalia de Shabelsky (1841-1905), a Russian noblewoman compelled to preserve what she perceived as the vanishing folk art traditions of her native country. Traveling extensively throughout Great Russia, she collected many fine examples of textile art of the wealthy peasant class. From the 1870s until moving to France in 1902, Shabelsky amassed a large collection of intricately embroidered hand-woven household textiles and opulent festival garments with rich decoration and elaborate motifs. The Brooklyn Museum holdings include many fine examples including the majority of the garments. Portions of Shabelsky's collection are also housed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Cleveland Art Museum, and the Russian Museum of Ethnography in St. Petersburg.

The embroidery in this headdress back is quite different from the rest of the Shabelsky collection in its highly stylized depiction of the double-headed imperial eagle. The predominantly satin stitch embroidery creates a smooth and very reflective surface which gives the appearance of solid gold. Despite the abundance of gold, the motif seems restrained, reflecting the maker's refined sensibilities.