Tyrkisk rytter med fire tjenere til fods 1600 - 1700

This small, anonymous print depicts a Turkish rider with four servants on foot. It reminds us that images are not neutral; they participate in cultural exchange. In early modern Europe, prints like these offered a window onto a world largely unknown, feeding curiosity about the Ottoman Empire. The “Turk” embodied both fascination and fear. This image uses visual codes – the distinctive clothing, headwear, and the exoticized figures – to construct a narrative of foreignness and power. What did it mean to represent these figures, and for whom? Was this an attempt to understand, or to reinforce existing stereotypes? As historians, we must ask what social conditions made this image possible. Looking at period literature, trade records, and diplomatic exchanges, we can begin to unpack the complex relationship between Europe and the Ottoman world, and understand the politics of imagery in shaping cultural perceptions.