Head of a Young Woman Wearing a Turban 1577 - 1668

Alessandro Tiarini made this red chalk drawing, called "Head of a Young Woman Wearing a Turban" in the early 17th century. The turban here is a visual code referencing the increasing interactions between Europe and the Ottoman Empire at this time. Although these interactions were often hostile, there was a vogue for orientalism in some European painting. The turban could indicate a generic "eastern" figure, though equally might indicate a more specific affiliation. Tiarini was working in Bologna, Italy, a city then known for its religious art. This drawing seems at odds with that cultural background. In moving away from conventional religious iconography and in focusing instead on this figure in a turban, Tiarini might be seen to challenge social norms in art, though whether this was his intention, is, of course, something we can only speculate on. To better understand this image, we need to research the history of orientalism in Italian art and the precise place of Bologna in the development of cultural relations between Europe and the Ottoman Empire.