The woman of Cyprus as presented here with a complicated plumed headdress, along with the German word ‘frauenzimmer’, carries derogative connotations.
In many of the travelogues of the 17th to the 18th century, women of Cyprus were described as the descendants of Venus, Goddess of Love, and were seen as having loose morals.
This perhaps stemmed from Herodotus’ description of the rites of sacred prostitution taking place at the temple of Aphrodite in antiquity in Cyprus.
Western travellers commented on the dress worn by Cypriot women as low-cut or see-through at the bosom. The artist here calls his illustration of the women of Cyprus as 'The woman of the bedroom'.
PNT-00072 > Cornelius va de Bruyn, ein Frauenzimmer aus der Insel Cypern, engraving (coloured), 16 x 10 cm, 1725.
The 'Sneak Peek' series is supported by OPAP (Cyprus).
