Hab.ts de la Perse from Playing cards "Jeu d'Or" 18th century

Curator: Oh, isn't this charming? We're looking at "Habits de la Perse," or "Costumes of Persia," an 18th-century playing card drawing, now residing at The Met. The artist remains anonymous, and it's rendered with a delicate combination of coloured pencil and print techniques. What leaps out at you? Editor: The pastels! Like a faded dream… There’s such a courtly elegance about them, a kind of world-weary sophistication mixed with this playful card-game context. Almost ironic. The lines of their clothing against the skin creates depth... And a curious romantic tension is palpable, isn't it? Curator: Indeed! The “Persian” couple, though filtered through an undoubtedly European lens, does convey a romantic narrative. Note the elaborate headwear—feathers and turbans signalling status, definitely steeped in the visual vocabulary of Orientalism. He is adorned with a sabre, so masculinity has to have been part of the symbolism here as well. Editor: And her gaze… there’s such directness, despite the gentleness of her profile. The card game symbolism here – the clubs, numerical inscriptions and little text fragments floating up top, these act as almost stage direction notes. Is she yielding power or is he doing this? And also, where has she been looking while waiting on hold from playing this? It suggests at a playful scenario. The expressions give such subtle emotional depths, despite the stylistic stylization of a playing card Curator: Absolutely. That layering of symbols elevates it beyond mere decorative art. There's this veneer of exoticism – Persia, the East, seen as this source of mystique, but what's more important, here the symbolism shows the Persian influence had begun its impact across European society in that moment and forever changed social behavior. The artist, despite the lack of attribution, has captured this historical tension perfectly. Editor: I see that tension resonating today. What we imagine as 'other' informs how we know ourselves... In fact I am not even sure they're not exchanging barbs rather than sweet nothings if that club means that he is about to fall into her web of charm. It is wonderful that one image can evoke this, so very nice to experience now in modern days!