Ottoman Soldiers from contemporary European Illustrations by Melchior Lorck, 1570-83

A Turkish soldier

A Turkish soldier; whole-length figure in three-quarter profile to right; holding a lance in his right hand and a shield in his left hand; wearing a turban decorated with long feathers; a ruined tower in right background; from a series of 127 woodcuts. 1582

In "Hungarian style" tournaments, the participants wore Hungarian and Turkish costumes and used sabres to strike off feathers attached to their opponents' helmets and to the apex of their painted shields. The plume on this shield may indicate a similar Ottoman practice.