Ruiterportret van Nadir Sjah Afshar 1754

Johann Martin Bernigeroth made this print of Nadir Shah Afshar, sometime in the mid-18th century, using etching and engraving. The image depicts Nadir Shah, the Shah of Persia, on horseback, accompanied by a figure of Fame. Prints like this one played a vital role in shaping European perceptions of non-Western rulers. The image is composed in the style of a European royal portrait, drawing on a visual language that associated rulers with power, authority, and legitimacy. Nadir Shah's dress and accoutrements are rendered with careful attention to detail. This would have appealed to European audiences who were fascinated by the exotic East. But how accurate was it? The print suggests the interest of the artist and his audience in the figure of Nadir Shah and the Persian Empire, but it also tells us about the way European artists and institutions represented other cultures. Art historians use a variety of sources, from costume books to diplomatic archives, to understand these representations. Through this we can understand the complex exchange between cultures and the politics of imagery.