A Siamese Envoy 

Here is the audio guide script: Peter Paul Rubens created this drawing of ‘A Siamese Envoy’ using pen and ink. Notice the confident lines that delineate the figure of the envoy, capturing his likeness with minimal strokes. Rubens structures the composition around the envoy's imposing figure. His voluminous garments create a sense of presence, yet the subtle gradations of tone, achieved through delicate hatching, lend the drawing a remarkable sense of depth. The envoy’s arms are crossed, suggesting a posture of dignity. The artist employs a semiotic system of signs, drawing on cultural codes to convey the envoy’s status and cultural identity. Rubens challenges fixed modes of representation. It prompts us to question how cultural encounters are framed and interpreted, and engages with new ways of thinking about representation. The drawing reflects broader artistic and philosophical concerns about cultural exchange and the representation of the ‘Other’.