Artistic residency at Pange Castle _ La Fabric Grand Est

Kulah Khud Helmet (Rostam Helmet)

Origin: Iran (though originating from Turkestan and Central Asia)

Period: Late 16th – 17th century Materials: Steel, copper

Use: Originally used as war attire, today primarily employed in folk street theater to portray heroic characters.

Decorative Motifs: Often adorned with intricate inlaid brass, silver, or gold designs on the skull and nasal bar. Some helmets feature figurative imagery, while others, particularly those of Mughal origin, display Quranic inscriptions for divine protection and victory. A notable example depicts the white demon Div Sefid, a character from the epic poem Shahnameh by Ferdowsi.

About Rostam: As the central figure in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, Rostam is Iran’s legendary hero, renowned for his immense strength and courage. Often depicted wearing a Kulah Khud helmet, he symbolizes the indomitable spirit of ancient Persia.

Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Persian Div-e Sepid ou Démon blanc.
Firdawsi. Shahnamah. 1718-1721.

Peintres : Abd al-Salam Kashmiri et Abd al-Karim.

 Ramayana Storyteller’s Headdress

(This headdress is inspired by the “pattachitra mask” paintings from the Indian epic “Ramayana”)

Country: India

Use: These masks, called “Kagaja Mukha,” were worn by dancers and actors. They are now used to decorate the walls of living spaces and on draperies to add a dramatic touch to the stage. Folk theater uses masks made of paper and shola pith, painted in vibrant colors.

Period: 11th century

 Schlupfkàpp

Country: France (Alsace region)

Use: Marker of female social rank

Period: Around 1830, this headdress featured a frontal knot that gradually grew larger, reaching a diameter of 1 meter by the 1890s.

Symbolism: Made of crossed ribbons brought together at the top of the forehead and tied in a knot, it is the origin of the Alsatian knot, now universally recognized as a symbol of Alsace. In bright red Lyon silk, white with printed flowers, plaid, or black embroidered with gold and red for young Catholic girls, the knots are solid black for married or widowed Catholic women. Young Protestant women, married or widowed, keep a modest-sized black knot.

 Mill hopper ornaments (Kleiekotzer)

Country: France (Alsace region), Musée alsacien Strasbourg Period: 18th century

Use: Their role was to scare away evil spirits that could contaminate the flour.

The use of these prophylactic objects reminds us that flour could transmit a serious disease to humans caused by a fungus called ergot. Known as “Saint Anthony’s fire,” it was treated by the Antonites, a religious order based in Issenheim (Haut-Rhin).

Young girl in a city dress, wearing a hat adorned with a crown.

Medium: Silver albumen print

Date: Late 19th – early 20th century

Qajar Dynasty

Qajar Period

DIMENSIONS (20.8 x 15.6 cm) Brooklyn Museum

Alsatian “Kochersberg” Wedding Headdress

Country: France, Alsace region.

Use: This headdress is inspired by two traditional Alsatian head coverings: the 1830 “Kochersberg” wedding headdress and the men’s ritual headdress for the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood.

The conscript feast was a true ritual that transformed boys into men. They were recognizable by their conscript costume, which became increasingly elaborate over time: Scottish fabrics, colorful ribbons, the inevitable flowered hats from the 1920s, the tricolor flag embroidered with the class name, etc.

The “Kochersberg” wedding headdress strongly resembles the German “Schäppel” wedding crown found in the Black Forest region.

Period: 1830