Femme Juive, en habit de cèrèmonie, plate 64 from "Recueil de cent estampes représentent differentes nations du Levant" 1714 - 1715

Jean Baptiste Vanmour created this print, "Femme Juive, en habit de cérémonie," as part of a series depicting different nations of the Levant. It was produced as a copper plate engraving. This image offers a glimpse into the cultural exchanges and perceptions of the Ottoman world in the 18th century. Vanmour, a painter in the French style, served as court painter to the Ottoman Sultan. Here, he meticulously captures the attire of a Jewish woman in ceremonial dress, a topic of fascination for Europeans at the time. The print reflects both observation and the Orientalist fantasies prevalent in Europe. How accurate is Vanmour's depiction? How does the woman's pose and setting contribute to the construction of an exotic "other"? The image also speaks to the economic structures of the art world. Prints like these were collected in albums. Scholarly research into collections of prints and drawings, along with historical archives, can reveal much about the social and cultural contexts in which art is made, circulated, and consumed.