Tchinguis, ou Danseuse Turque, plate 54 from "Recueil de cent estampes représentent differentes nations du Levant"

Art Historical Context

This etching and engraving, titled "Tchinguis, ou Danseuse Turque," is plate 54 from the 1714–15 publication *Recueil de cent estampes représentant différentes nations du Levant*. Published by Jacques le Hay after designs by Jean Baptiste Vanmour and engraved by Gérard Jean Baptiste Scotin I, the print portrays a Turkish dancer and belongs to a landmark series documenting the peoples, costumes, and customs of the Ottoman Empire and broader Levant region. Executed in etching and engraving, the medium allowed for fine detail and wide distribution, translating Vanmour’s observations into accessible images for European viewers. The sheet’s focus on a female performer, highlighted in the work’s tags, reflects the publication’s aim to catalog diverse figures from the Eastern Mediterranean world. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this piece exemplifies early eighteenth-century European efforts to visually record and interpret Levantine cultures through printmaking. Its measured scale and precise technique underscore the era’s blend of artistic documentation and cultural curiosity.

About the Artist

Jacques le Hay|Jean Baptiste Vanmour|Gérard Jean Baptiste Scotin I (French| ) · 1671 |1650 –1737 |1750

French, Valenciennes 1671–1737 Istanbul (Constantinople)|