Fille de Joye Turque - N. De Nicolay 1650

📜 Description
Original etching from the work of Nicolas de Nicolay, published in Paris by M. Guillemot around 1650, depicting a female figure identified as “Fille de Joye Turque”. The image presents a single full-length figure, set frontally against a neutral background, wearing richly decorated attire including an oriental headdress, layered long garments, and ornate sleeves, elements that relate to ethnographic descriptions of Ottoman Empire dress. The figure holds a small vegetal element in her left hand, likely symbolic or descriptive, while the composed and isolated posture highlights the illustrative and classificatory function of the plate. The inscription at the top, “Fille de Joye Turque”, identifies the subject as a Turkish courtesan, placing the image within the context of Western representations of social types and exotic customs. The verso with French text confirms the editorial purpose of the print as part of a descriptive and historical-ethnographic work, with documentary and collectible value within the field of antique prints.

📚 Historical note
Nicolas de Nicolay (1517–1583) was a French geographer and traveler, author of important illustrated accounts of the Levant. His works, frequently reprinted during the 17th century, contributed to the dissemination in Europe of images and descriptions of Eastern customs. The engravings, often executed by artists such as Thomas Artus d’Embry, belong to the French editorial tradition of ethnographic and descriptive prints intended for a learned audience interested in the Ottoman world.

🧾 Technical sheet
Type: original etching
Author / Maker: Nicolas de Nicolay; Thomas Artus d’Embry
Publisher / Printer: M. Guillemot, Paris
Place: Paris
Period: 1650
Material: paper
Technique: etching
Subject / Title: Fille de Joye Turque
Dimensions: sheet 24.5 x 34 cm; plate 16.5 x 26.5 cm
Marks / signatures / inscriptions: engraved title at top “Fille de Joye Turque”; French text on verso

🔍 Condition Report
Example in very good overall condition; paper well preserved with slight age-related traces consistent with the period; text present on the verso.