The Sultan 1745 - 1972

Jean-Honoré Fragonard made this drawing, The Sultan, with brown wash and sanguine on laid paper. It presents a figure adorned in what Europeans imagine to be Ottoman clothing. During the 18th century, there was increasing European contact with the Ottoman Empire through trade and diplomacy. This created a vogue for what was called "Turquerie," which was expressed in the arts and fashion. What did this fascination with the “Orient” mean for European culture? In truth, these depictions told us more about Europe than the Ottoman Empire. What was presented as an authentic representation was really a product of fantasy. This drawing is preserved in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, an institution with its own complex history of cultural exchange and representation. Careful study of the archives of such institutions, alongside the close analysis of images like this one, allows us to reflect on the power dynamics inherent in cultural representation.