Hamet, Companion to Mahomet c. 1765

Editor: This is Thomas Worlidge's engraving, "Hamet, Companion to Mahomet." It looks like an illustration from a book. What can you tell me about it? Curator: The engraving presents Hamet through a lens of 18th-century Orientalism. Note the inscription: "Taken Prisoner, & Escaped with him?" It reduces a complex historical figure to a stereotype of exoticism and possibly violence. How does this limited narrative influence your understanding? Editor: I see. It makes him seem more like a character than a real person. It’s a very biased viewpoint. Curator: Exactly! This image perpetuates a power dynamic, reducing Hamet to a subservient role within a Western gaze. We must question how historical narratives like this shape our understanding of different cultures.