Femme du Levant, from Recueil de diverses fig.res étrangeres Inventées par F. Boucher P.tre du Roy et Gravées par F. Ravenet (Collection of Various Foreign Figures, Devised by F. Boucher, Painter of the King and Engraved [etched] by F. Ravenet), plate 8 1721 - 1774

Simon Francis Ravenet the elder etched "Femme du Levant" in the 18th century, after an original drawing by François Boucher. It is part of a series exploring foreign figures, reflecting the era’s fascination with the exotic "Orient." The image presents a European fantasy of a woman from the Levant, an area encompassing the Eastern Mediterranean. Her dress, a mixture of European and imagined Eastern elements, speaks to the colonial gaze and the construction of the "Other." The soft lines and delicate shading enhance her idealized beauty, reinforcing the exoticism and eroticism associated with the East in Western art. This etching invites us to consider how cultural exchange is often shaped by power dynamics. How do these historical representations affect our understanding of identity and culture today? The woman stands as both an object of beauty and a symbol of cultural appropriation, prompting us to reflect on the complexities of representation.