Muslim Captives in Early Modern European sculpture[1]

Abstract

In the early modern period, Europeans held Muslims captive and recorded their information, such as their number, places of origin and physical appearance. The experiences of the Turks were distinct from those of galley slaves or mine labourers for the slave masters, traders, record keepers, sea captains, church and government officials, and residents of towns and cities where captives walked, worked and even indulged in sensuous behaviour. Many captives spoke with their masters about their professions, families, favourite foods, regional traditions, and towns. Their stories arrived today thanks to these records. Although tales about Muslims were created which portrayed them in various roles and with distinctive traits and physical qualities, the portrayal of the Turk in sculpture was consistently the same: they were stereotyped in defeat and humiliation. In this period, male turcs dominated sculpture as it was more impactful to depict the intimidating and powerful Turks in shameful defeat and submission. In sculpture, the turc was forced to lose his voice heard in the stories they told. This paper studies how turcs are depicted in sculpture in the early modern period. [1] This chapter is largely taken from Mediterranean Captivity through Arab Eyes, 1517-1798 (Leiden: Brill, 2021), with the permission of the author.