Ces Moeurs et fachons de faire de Turcz (Customs and Fashions of the Turks)

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 16th Europe with *Ces Moeurs et fach de faire de TurczCustoms and Fashions the Turks)*, a monumental frieze of woodcuts by Flemish artist Pieter Coecke vanelst, with contributions from Mayken Verhul. Created in the mid-1500s, this panoramic stretches an impressive 14 feet 11 inches across ten sheets, each block meticulously carved to capture the exotic allure of Ottoman life. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it offers a rare glimpse into a time when the East captivated Western imaginations. Coecke van Aelst drew from his own 1533 journey to Constantinople (modern Istanbul), producing one of the earliest detailed European records of Turkish customs, attire, and military splendor. Soldiers wielding spears and swords march alongside caryatids—stylized female figures—and fluttering flags, blending documentary precision with artistic flair. This work fueled Europe's "turquerie" craze, influencing fashion, tapestries, and decorative arts as Renaissance curiosity met Ottoman grandeur. Printed as a continuous frieze, the woodcuts showcase the medium's power for large-scale narrative storytelling, a technical marvel for its era. Visitors today can marvel at how these ten interlocking blocks transport us to bustling bazaars and ceremonial processions, bridging cultures across centuries.

About the Artist

Pieter Coecke van Aelst|Mayken Verhulst · 1502–1550

Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502–1550) was a leading Flemish artist of the Renaissance, renowned for his multifaceted talents as a painter, sculptor, architect, and designer of tapestries, stained glass, woodcuts, and metalwork. Born in Aalst, in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium), he likely studied under Bernaert van Orley, a prominent Antwerp painter, before becoming a master in the city...