Abstract: This article presents the results of research of visual sources related to oriental, and namely Turkish headwear, as well as varieties of its reception by the European painters of the late XVI – XVII centuries. The subject of this research is the perception of visual and scenic European traditions of certain forms of female headware of that time. The author examines different visual sources that describe the European representations on the Turkish female headwear, as well as scenic and allegorical costumes of the period in question. Such multi-symbolic item as theatrical costume requires application of semiotic method of research. The article also used the traditional for art history methods, historical and formal analysis. The study of similar instances allows seeing the overall picture of sources of creation of forms of the contemporary scenic European costumes. The conclusion is made on the positive and diverse application of the shapes of Turkish headwear in theatricalized and allegorical images of the late XVI – XVII centuries, their gradual transformation and shifting away from perceptions of these shapes as purely ethnic.