Een zogende vrouw 1683 - 1733

Bernard Picart created this print of a nursing woman in the 17th or 18th century. During this time European artists regularly engaged with images of the "Orient", often shaped by colonial encounters. Here, the woman's turban and loose garments mark her as "other", part of a broader European fascination with and misrepresentation of non-Western cultures. Yet, the intimate act of breastfeeding transcends cultural boundaries; it’s a universal expression of motherhood and nurture. Consider the implications of depicting a woman from a foreign land in such an intimate, vulnerable pose. How does it play into the power dynamics between the colonizer and the colonized? The artist invites us to contemplate the complexities of cultural exchange and representation. What does it mean to depict a mother, regardless of her origins, in a moment of such raw, unfiltered connection? This image reflects both the societal gaze on foreign cultures and the timeless bond between mother and child.