The Turkish Family c. 1497

Albrecht Durer made this print, "The Turkish Family," using engraving techniques. The image presents an early modern European imagining of people from the Ottoman Empire. During Durer’s time, the Ottoman Empire was a powerful political entity that posed a military threat to the Holy Roman Empire and other parts of Europe. European artists often depicted Ottoman figures in ways that reflected both fascination and fear. Here, Durer renders the family with careful detail, paying close attention to their clothing and physical features. The man carries bows, hinting at military prowess, while the woman with a child is shown bare breasted. This could be to suggest the exotic nature of the culture, and perhaps also a comment on gender and the relationship between the private and the public. Art historians investigate such images by researching the complex histories of cultural exchange and conflict. Primary source documents, such as letters, travelogues, and political treatises, give insight into the worldview of the artist. Through this image, Durer provides a window into the world of cultural and institutional biases that shape artistic interpretation.