Falcon's hood

Falconry is the use of trained birds of prey to hunt and catch wild animals. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when hunting for sport was an important aspect of court and aristocratic life and had a significant role in the power play between rulers and subjects, falconry was considered among the highest status of all hunting pursuits.

Hoods were used both as an aid to training the birds and to keep the trained falcons quiet and still while sitting on the falconer's glove. Most hoods have a plume on top of the crown which, as well as being decorative, can be used as a handle to help in the removal of the closely-fitting hood. The equipment used for hunting provided an opportunity for extravagant display, and this example is no exception, the leather embellished with gold tooling, silk velvet and highly skilled embroidery in silver thread.