Portret van vier jonge Koerdische vrouwen c. 1880 - 1895

This is a photographic portrait by Antoine Sevruguin, capturing four young Kurdish women. The image is striking in its depiction of adornment and the subjects’ poised expressions. Notice the headdresses, intricate with ornamentation, a common motif across many cultures. Such head coverings and jewelry are not merely decorative, they speak to identity, status, and perhaps protection. Consider the ancient Greek diadem, or the bejeweled crowns of Byzantine empresses. The impulse to adorn the head is a recurring theme, echoing through time and geography. It reappears in the elaborate headdresses of Renaissance portraiture, each jewel and fabric fold laden with significance. These Kurdish women, adorned and self-possessed, invite us to consider the cyclical nature of symbols, and how the human spirit continually seeks to express itself through adornment. The gaze of these women lingers, stirring within us a sense of recognition, an echo of shared human experiences across the ages.