The Reis Effendi, Head of the Chancery c. 1727 - 1730

Editor: This is "The Reis Effendi, Head of the Chancery," an oil painting by Jean Baptiste Vanmour, made around 1727-1730. The details in the clothing and the desk are incredible! What jumps out at you about it? Curator: Well, I immediately think about the materials themselves. Vanmour uses oil paint, a relatively new medium at the time for this subject matter. The luxuriousness it suggests – how does that reflect the wealth and power dynamics at play? What kind of pigments did he use, and where did they come from? These are not arbitrary choices; they were often tied to trade routes, colonial ventures, and social status. Editor: That’s fascinating; I never considered the paint itself as a status symbol! Curator: Exactly! And look at the textiles in the painting, the carpets and the Reis Effendi’s robes. These objects, produced through intensive labor, were central to both trade and the European vision of the Orient. How does the *act* of painting these commodities reinforce their value, turning them into consumable images? Editor: So you’re saying the painting is not just a depiction, but also part of a system of economic and cultural exchange? Curator: Precisely! Think about the desk, too. The artistry required, the materials used: they represent skill, labor, and ultimately, consumption. Vanmour’s paintings allowed his patrons to "possess" a slice of the Ottoman world, to bring that oriental splendor back to Europe. It’s visual consumption through and through. Editor: That's a completely different way of seeing it than I expected! It's made me realise how important it is to consider not just *what* is painted, but *how* it was made and its social implications. Curator: And whose labor created this artwork, and to what end. I have learned from you by revisiting the simple and yet complex observation that materiality matters!