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A Lady in a Turkish Dress

After Angelica Kauffmann Swiss
1775
Not on view
This image of a European woman wearing Turkish dress testifies to the long-lived Western fascination with harems and their inhabitants. In this instance, the work, designed by a woman, suggests freedom rather than confinement. The costume is fairly accurate and consists of a loose, open chemise (gömlek), voluminous trousers (shalwar), a waistcoat (yelek), an open gown (entari), a turban, and slippers. Although designed for indoors, the outfit is worn here in a garden, signifying the comfort and ease of movement Turkish garments afforded Westerners. Ryland used stipple to render the design; the soft effect is accentuated by the use of several colors, which bled into one another at their edges as a result of hand-inking.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Lady in a Turkish Dress
  • Artist: William Wynne Ryland (British, baptized London 1732–1783 London)
  • Artist: After Angelica Kauffmann (Swiss, Chur 1741–1807 Rome)
  • Date: 1775
  • Medium: Stipple engraving, printed in color with hand-coloring
  • Dimensions: sheet: 14 5/8 x 11 1/8 in. (37.1 x 28.3 cm) (cut to plate line)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1972
  • Object Number: 1972.538.1
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Peasant Crossing Water, William Wynne Ryland British, Etching and engraving
Peasant Crossing Water
William Wynne Ryland
François Boucher
1786
View From a Bridge, William Wynne Ryland British, Etching
View From a Bridge
William Wynne Ryland
François Boucher
Rest in the Country, William Wynne Ryland British, Etching and engraving
Rest in the Country
William Wynne Ryland
François Boucher
Ophelia: "There's fennel for you, and columbines" (Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5), William Wynne Ryland British, Stipple engraving, printed in brown ink
Ophelia: "There's fennel for you, and columbines" (Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5)
Multiple artists/makers
1787
Woman Carrying a Bucket, William Wynne Ryland British, Etching and engraving
Woman Carrying a Bucket
William Wynne Ryland
François Boucher

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