Martin van Meytens: Maria Theresa in Turkish costume holding a mask, c. 1744

Turquerie at the Viennese Court – Maria Theresa in Turkish costume

1744

Originating in France, the eighteenth-century fashion for all things Turkish also swept the Habsburg court. Courtiers wore ‘Turkish dress’ and danced at balls in oriental costumes. Even weddings were celebrated in oriental settings. Empress Maria Theresa had herself portrayed in Turkish clothing by Jean-Étienne Liotard, the peintre turc, and the court painter Martin van Meytens also painted her in oriental costume.

Martin van Meytens: Maria Theresa in Turkish costume holding a mask, c. 1744