A young woman wearing a turban

A young woman wearing a turban

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Unlike many of Castiglione’s Oriental Heads, this figure's face is not hidden by shadows. However, the primary concern of the etching remains her costume, not her face. Her facial features are extremely generalized, such as the long thin nose, pursed lips, and heavily lidded almond shaped eyes. The high eyebrows and broad cheeks are quite generalized, but more importantly are idealized features. Thus, this woman is not a specific, recognizable person, but is a generic figure in an interesting costume. Not only does this etching convey a sense of Otherness through an Oriental headdress, but also through the depiction of an exotic foreign woman.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione

Royal Collection Trust

late 1640s

Public Domain

Part of the Series of Oriental Heads

Still Image

RCIN 830471.p

Etching

platemark 105 x 80 mm