Ein sich nach rechts bückender Mann mit Turban c. 1640

Simon Vouet made this drawing of a man bending to the right, wearing a turban, sometime between 1590 and 1649. Vouet was a French painter who spent a significant amount of time in Italy. There, he absorbed the influence of the Italian masters, particularly Caravaggio. This work gives us insight into the ways Europeans imagined people from the Middle East during this period. The turban is a signifier of the ‘Orient,’ part of a European fascination with and often misinformed view of non-European cultures. The man's bare feet and the angle of his body suggest a posture of labor or servitude. Vouet’s sketch invites us to reflect on the power dynamics inherent in representation and how they reflect the complex interplay of cultural exchange and the assertion of dominance. It encourages us to consider the gaze through which different cultures are perceived and portrayed.