A Turkish man with a moustache, wearing a turban decorated with five egret feathers, turned three-quarters to the right, an oval composition, from 'Several heads in the Persian style' (Plusieurs têtes coiffées à la persienne) 1650

Stefano della Bella created this etching, "A Turkish man with a moustache, wearing a turban decorated with five egret feathers," as part of his series, 'Several heads in the Persian style'. The oval composition presents a figure adorned with a flamboyant turban and prominent moustache, capturing the intricate details of the sitter's features and attire through fine, delicate lines. Della Bella’s approach invites us to consider the semiotics of dress and identity, especially during a time when European notions of the ‘Orient’ were being constructed and codified. Here, the turban is not merely headwear, but a signifier of cultural and social otherness, stylized for a European audience. His use of line and form transforms an individual into a type, playing with the era’s fascination with exoticism and difference. Notice how the artist's formal choices prompt us to reflect on how cultural identities are constructed, represented, and consumed through visual media.