Ældre tyrkisk mand til hest, fulgt af to tjenere til fods 1600 - 1700

This image, titled "Elderly Turkish Man on Horseback, Followed by Two Servants on Foot", is an engraving. The anonymous artist would have used a sharp tool called a burin to carve lines into a metal plate, likely copper. Look closely, and you can see how the density and direction of the lines create a sense of form and shadow. The image gains its social significance from this very process. Engraving, unlike painting, is a printmaking technique, so it is suited for mass production. This allowed for a wider dissemination of imagery, contributing to European's fascination with, and often misrepresentation of, other cultures. Notice, too, that the artist has paid attention to the opulence of the subject's garments, contrasting sharply with the servants who attend to him. The technique of engraving is here deployed to illustrate a world of labor, politics, and consumption. Considering the materials, the making, and the historical context allows us to understand the full meaning of this image.