Old Persian with a Cane c. 18th century

Editor: This is Georg Friedrich Schmidt’s "Old Persian with a Cane". I’m struck by how this etching seems to exoticize the subject. What symbols or cultural references are embedded within this image, in your opinion? Curator: Note the turban, the flowing robes, and the cane. These are potent symbols of status and perhaps even wisdom, yet seen through a European lens. The period of the print is 1756. How might cultural perceptions shape or distort the true representation of the “Old Persian” in the artist's mind? Editor: That's a really interesting point about the "European lens." It makes me think about how much our own cultural background influences our interpretation. Curator: Exactly! And art becomes a dialogue across time, between cultures, and within ourselves.