English Engraving, Framed

Streaked face paint and a waterfall of pale hair make this profile unforgettable

This engraving is from England, United Kingdom, and dates to the 17th century. It is ink on paper. Orientalism, a genre of art about the East, is generally traced to Napoleon's 1798 invasion of Egypt, which encouraged scholars and artists to visit and document North Africa and the Middle East. A profile portrait of a bearded man with long, pale, rope-like hair and bands of color across the cheek. The shading is gray and the plate carries a small caption line at the foot. A slim burnished frame and cream mat surround it. It is 14 inches wide and 17 high.

The hairstyle alone deserved a full plate of its own.