Arab chief 

Mariano Fortuny Marsal made this painting of an Arab chief, but the date of its making is unknown. This image invites us to consider the politics of imagery. Made by a Spanish artist, it offers a vision of North Africa through a European lens. The chief is adorned with weapons and jewellery, visual codes suggesting power and wealth. But what does it mean to represent a person from another culture? The painting was likely produced in the latter half of the 19th century, a period when European countries were expanding their empires into Africa. This was a moment of intense cultural exchange but also of domination and misrepresentation. Fortuny was part of a wider artistic trend called Orientalism, in which European artists depicted peoples from North Africa and the Middle East. Art historians consult a wide range of sources, including letters, diaries, and colonial archives, to better understand the complex cultural exchanges of this time.