Hat with a helmet-like form and no brim, a style that was in fashion in about 1925. The lower part of the crown is turned back, adding a sophisticated metropolitan touch. With blue, yellow, and green on a scarlet base, the design presents strong contrasts in color reminiscent of Fauvist paintings, and the embroidery of silk yarn and wool yarn creates a freely undulating and intertwining design of flowers and leaves. This embroidery bears some resemblance to the embroidery of central Asia or Muslim countries, giving a visual impression of handcrafted, indigenous artistry, inspired by the oriental taste of Art Deco. This hat was created by Madeleine Panizon (the professional name of Madeleine Buisset, whose dates are unknown). A modiste (designer of women’s dress and headwear), Panizon studied at the Atelier Martine, a design school established by Paul Poiret after being impressed by the Wiener Werkstätte. In the 1920s, she established her business in Rue Ponthieu, Paris, naming it Madeleine Panizon. She worked for a restricted list of clients, and virtually never advertised, but her modern, avant-garde designs were highly rated, and at the 1925 Art Deco Exposition her innovative hat for an automobilist or aviator, employing fasteners and eyelets as design elements, was awarded the Prix d’honneur. Around 1920-1928, she produced hats for Poiret’s house. This example of her work is considered to be from that period.