PAIR OF MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAID WOODEN BATHING PEDESTALS FOR - Lot 104

PAIR OF MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAID WOODEN BATHING PEDESTALS FOR THE BRIDE. TURKEY, OTTOMAN ART, 18th CENTURY. Fitted with two velvet-covered cardboard headbands and silver plates with repoussé flower motifs. Inlaid wood with mother-of-pearl in pewter fillets. A similar pair of pedestals is in the Sadberk Hanim Museum in Istanbul (SHM 17961). In Ottoman times, going to the public bath or Hammam was one of the rare occasions for women to be seen in society outside their private residence. This visit took place at least once a week. The baths were also the place to celebrate important events and significant moments in a woman's life. One of the most festive and entertaining gatherings was known as the "gelin hamamı" or "nuptial bath". Servants carried precious belongings to the public bath, consisting of embroidered towels, silk bath wraps, embroidered scarves, undergarments, ivory combs, mirrors and of course bathing clogs such as the ones we're offering you today. Height: 33 cm. Width : 23.5 cm. Gross weight : 2384 gr.