Chef des Eunuques (head of the Eunuchs), from the series "Caravane du Sultan à la Mecque..." (Caravan of a Sultan Going to Mecca) 1748

Joseph Marie Vien created this etching entitled 'Chef des Eunuques' - or 'Head of the Eunuchs' - as part of a series on a Sultan’s caravan to Mecca. The image presents a figure in what Europeans imagined to be Ottoman finery. Made in France sometime in the 18th century, this print gives us an idea of how people in the West viewed the East. The image is less about representing reality, and more about the European fascination with other cultures. During this time, there was growing interest in the art, culture, and history of the Ottoman Empire, but this interest was often mixed with stereotypes and projections. This etching can tell us a lot about this complex relationship between Europe and the Ottoman world, and we can better understand this relationship by looking at travelogues, literature, and other visual materials from the period. What was the real relationship of France and the Ottoman Empire?