The King of the Moors Dismisses the English Ambassadors c. 1790

Curator: This is Giovanni Maria de Pian’s "The King of the Moors Dismisses the English Ambassadors," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Immediately, it feels so staged, doesn't it? Like a tableau vivant, everyone caught in a pose. The room is far more ornate than the people in it. Curator: Well, that tension between setting and figure is interesting. The image likely reflects anxieties about diplomacy and trade with non-European powers during the period. Consider the performative aspects of power being depicted. Editor: I see what you mean, a kind of power play. The Moors' king is so still, so central, while the ambassadors are all bowing and leaving. It's all in the body language. Curator: Exactly. De Pian's piece asks us to consider the visual cues used to represent authority and cultural exchange in a society grappling with expanding global interactions. Editor: It really does feel like a record of a very specific moment. I am really intrigued by the Moor's expression, it feels like controlled dismissal. Curator: Yes, the picture becomes a meditation on history, power and perspective. Editor: It makes you wonder who really has the upper hand.