[ENGRAVING] Emir Chef des descendans [sic] de Mahomet. [i.e., Emir: Chief of the descendants of Muhammad].

Original copperplate engraving. Folio (38.5 x 29 cm). Captions in French. Light foxing on the margins, fold marks in the centre, and minor tears at the edges. Copperplate engraving of an Islamic leader depicted as an "Emîr", shown on horseback, holding a flag adorned with a crescent symbol representing Islam. He is set in an indeterminate, likely imaginary landscape. As a product of an orientalist perspective, the depiction is complex yet lacks accuracy and clear references. From "Cérémonies et coutumes religieuses de tous les peuples du monde représentés par des figures dessinées de la main de Bernard Picart, avec une explication historique et quelques dissertations curieuses. Tome IV. No. 19" [i.e., Ceremonies and religious Rites of the various nations of the known world]. The series has been published by Jean-Frédéric Bernard (1683-1744), an Amsterdam bookseller, his family exiled from France as heretics following the enforcement of a religious law under Louis IV. The family resettled in Amsterdam, where his father took on the role of pastor. Jean-Frederic later moved to Geneva and established himself as a bookseller, but by 1705, he had returned to Amsterdam to open a new bookshop. The engraving is designed by Bernard Picart (1673-1733), a French draughtsman, engraver, and book illustrator in Amsterdam, who showed an interest in cultural and religious habits (Wikipedia). This corpus was published in the 18th century, is a comprehensive study that meticulously examines the rituals and traditions of various religions. Adorned with engravings by Bernard Picart, this series is regarded as one of the most significant cultural and religious studies of its time. Picart offered a comparative perspective on religions beyond Europe, covering Judaism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Islam, and other sects. Jonathan I. Israel describes Cérémonies as "an effort to document the religious rituals and beliefs of the world as objectively and authentically as possible." Cérémonies et coutumes religieuses de tous les peuples du monde was published in Amsterdam between 1723 and 1743 as a collaboration between Jean-Frédéric Bernard and Bernard Picart as "Naaukeurige beschryving der godtsdienst-plichten, kerk-zeden en gewoontens van alle volkeren der waereldt.". The Paris edition of the work was published in 1741.