A Woman of European Descent at Galata Being Handed Her Veil by Her Servant Prior to Going Out
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View on museum website →Medium
Etching
Dimensions
sheet: 10 1/4 x 9 1/4 in. (26 x 23.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Nathan Chaikin, 1959
Accession Number
59.610.7
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant multicultural hub of 18th-century Istanbul, Jean-Etienne Liotard a moment of daily life in *A Woman of European Descent Galata Being Handed Veil by Her Servant Prior Going Out* (1745). This etching, measuring 10 1/4 x 9 1/4 inches, likely collaborates Liotard's keen observation—honed during his years in Constantinople (17381742)—with the reproductive skills of Giuseppe Camerata. Galata, the Genoese-founded European quarter across the Golden Horn, was a lively enclave where Western women navigated Ottoman customs, veiling before venturing into the city. The scene poignantly illu...