Young man with his head lowered, wearing a turban, facing left, from the series of 'Small Heads in Oriental Headdress' (19th century impression) 1640 - 1650

This 19th-century impression comes from a series of etchings by the Italian artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, dating from the mid-17th century. It depicts a young man wearing a turban, his head lowered in what appears to be a gesture of contemplation or perhaps submission. Castiglione was working in Genoa, a major port city with extensive trade links to the East. This print belongs to a broader artistic trend known as "Turquerie", that saw European artists represent people in Turkish or other vaguely "Oriental" dress. These images offered European audiences a glimpse into cultures beyond their own, but often reinforced existing stereotypes and power dynamics. The "Orient" became a projection screen for European fantasies and anxieties. Understanding this image requires us to delve into the complex history of cultural exchange and representation. Prints like these were not simply neutral depictions, but active participants in shaping European perceptions of the "Other". By consulting historical archives, travel literature, and studies of cross-cultural exchange, we can begin to unravel the complex social forces at play in Castiglione's work.