Turkish Family

Turkish Family, by Albrecht Dürer, is a significant engraving created in 1496. This early print by the German master is a detailed, intimate study of a family unit, illustrating the growing European fascination with diverse cultures and costumes during the late fifteenth century.

The composition focuses intensely on the three figures: the father figure, marked by his elaborate turban and long, curved sword, stands protectively, holding a bow and arrow ready in his hands. Beside him is the mother, whose distinctive, layered clothing marks her as a subject from the Ottoman realm. She holds a small, tightly wrapped infant. Dürer’s choice to portray a foreign family with such dignified attention humanizes the subjects, diverging from the more common contemporary European caricatures of non-Western peoples.

As a pivotal figure in the history of graphic prints, Dürer employed the precise, meticulous line work characteristic of his mature engraving technique, rendering the figures and their heavy drapery with rich texture and three-dimensional form. This focus on texture and light demonstrates Dürer’s emerging mastery of the medium.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds this important example of early Northern Renaissance graphic art in its collection, representing both Dürer’s technical skill and a fascinating moment in the history of cross-cultural representation. While the original work is a prized collection piece, high-quality images of this Dürer composition have entered the public domain, allowing broad access and detailed study of this intriguing moment in Renaissance printmaking.