Vier pijprokende mannen en een vrouw 1750 - 1806

This is "Four Men Smoking Pipes and a Woman", an engraving by Francesco del Pedro. While its exact date remains unknown, the presence of the print in the Rijksmuseum collection raises questions about the cultural and institutional contexts that shaped its creation and reception. The image presents a group of figures adorned in what appears to be Turkish dress, engaged in the act of smoking. Representations of Ottoman culture were very fashionable in Europe at the time, so this is likely an example of the exotic ‘Turquerie’ genre. But what is the role of this imagery? Does it seek to inform or simply to entertain? Are such depictions accurate or do they distort their subject? These are the kinds of questions that we as historians can bring to bear on this artwork. To understand more, we might look for written descriptions of Ottoman life from the period, or trace the circulation of similar images in different social contexts. In doing so, we can begin to understand how this print may have perpetuated, or challenged, the prevailing attitudes of its time.