Woman of the Levant, plate 8
18th century
Step into the 18th-century obsession with all things 'Oriental'! François Boucher, the king of French Rococo, designed this elegant figure for a series of fashion plates published in Paris. The woman, titled 'Femme du Levant' (Woman of the East), is draped in flowing, exotic robes and a fabulous turban-style hat, holding what looks like a piece of fruit. While Boucher drew the original design (marked 'del.' at the bottom), the intricate lines you see here were actually carved by the engraver François Ravenet. It’s a perfect snapshot of 'Turquerie'—the European craze for Turkish and Middle Eastern aesthetics that swept through high society long before mass travel existed.
- Technique
- Engraving