A conical cap that is sewed together from four triangular resp. gored sides. The cap is made from white leather, is imprinted with brown ornaments and has a brim.
The object was acquired by the Gewerbemuseum (Museum of Applied Arts) Ulm in 1914 from the so-called "Huder" (items from the estate of people who were hosted in the hospital or the poor relief) of the public relief office. In the inventory, there is no information on the further provenance of the object.
In 1929, the cap was determined as a Balkan work. This assumption could not been confirmed yet. It resembles more likely the headdress from Central Asia. It reminds of the Kirghiz "kalpak", which is formed by sewing four gores together. Usually it is put together from four triangles, often shows a conical shape and has a brim. Moreover, it is typical that the kalpak can be folded flatly while it is not worn. The kalpak occurs in different forms and varieties. It was also worn i.a. in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan as well as in Türkiye.
However, the mainly used material for the kalpak is felt or fur. Even for other types of Central Asian caps, the current materials are fabric, felt and fur. Leather is unusual, so the distinct classification of the cap on hand is more difficult.
