Female Dancer in an Exotic Costume c. 1658

Stefano della Bella created this pen and wash drawing of a 'Female Dancer in an Exotic Costume' sometime between 1620 and 1664. During the 17th century, European courts were fascinated by what they considered to be exotic cultures, often drawing inspiration from the Ottoman Empire. This drawing encapsulates how identity and performance intertwine with cultural appropriation. Consider the dancer's pose: she's captured mid-movement, arms outstretched, embodying a sense of theatricality. Yet, this performance is mediated through a European lens, one that exoticizes and perhaps misunderstands the cultures it seeks to represent. The dancer's costume, while attempting to evoke the 'exotic', is a pastiche, a European fantasy of the orient. This drawing invites us to reflect on the complexities of cultural exchange and representation. What does it mean to perform a culture that is not one’s own, especially when that performance is shaped by power dynamics and colonial histories?