Lady in Turkish dress, reading 1742

Jean-Étienne Liotard made this drawing of a woman in Turkish dress with pastel and pencil. Notice how Liotard coaxes the pastel to mimic the appearance of textile. The soft, powdery medium is perfect for rendering the luxurious textures of the woman's robe and the plush cushions beneath her. But there's a tension here, isn't there? Liotard was celebrated for his realism, but the Turkish dress is more of a fantasy – a costume that speaks to Europe's fascination with the exotic "Orient." The patterns on the fabric, though delicately rendered, are imagined, hinting at a world far removed from the artist's studio. Perhaps this reveals the labor involved not just in the artwork's making, but also in the global trade that brought such imagery and goods into European consciousness. So, as you admire the artist's skill, consider too the social context that informs the image – the complex interplay of imagination, trade, and cultural exchange that gives this drawing its particular charge.