Meidan i Shah, het koninklijk plein in Teheran 1843 - 1854

Eugène Flandin created this print of Meidan i Shah, the royal square in Tehran. As an Orientalist painter, Flandin was part of a larger European project to represent and interpret the East. In this image, we see a convergence of different social classes and cultural identities. On one side, a formal military procession, an emblem of power, stands in stark contrast to the everyday life of the square where people from various walks of life are gathered. The architecture looms large, a symbol of Persian heritage, yet it is viewed through the lens of a European artist. What does it mean to capture a culture that is not your own? The lithograph becomes a document of cultural encounter, laden with the power dynamics inherent in representation. It invites us to consider whose stories are told and how they are framed.