Adelheid in de harem van de Tunesische vorst Bassa 1783

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki created this print, "Adelheid in de harem van de Tunesische vorst Bassa," during a time when Europe’s fascination with the ‘Orient’ was peaking. Chodowiecki, living in 18th-century Berlin, never actually visited North Africa, thus, his depiction emerges from the stories and perceptions circulating in Europe. The print illustrates a scene of cross-cultural encounter, but also signifies power dynamics. The ‘harem’ becomes a stage for European fantasies of exoticism and dominance. The women are positioned as objects of the Bassa’s gaze, reflecting prevalent gendered and racial stereotypes. How do we view these images today, knowing they were made through a lens of colonial imagination? Consider the emotional weight of misrepresentation, as we grapple with this history and its continuing impact.