Paedagogi habitus, qui Christianam prolem in disceplinam acceperit; Proles Christiana Turcorum Imperatori tributa; Assamoglani habitus, qui ad militiam se instituit; Asmoglam vestituis qui ad agriculturam exercetur

Paedagogi habitus, qui Christianam prolem in disceplinam acceperit; Proles Christiana Turcorum Imperatori tributa; Assamoglani habitus, qui ad militiam se instituit; Asmoglam vestituis qui ad agriculturam exercetur

Abraham de Bruyn

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Engraving, part of 'Omnium pene Europae, Asiae, Aphricae atque Americae Gentium Habitus' (Costumes of the various nations of Europe, Asia, Africa and America), a series of prints representing figures from various parts of the world, engraved by Abraham de Bruyn and published by Joos de Bosscher in 1580. This engraving represents a pedagogue, a Turkish Christian's son, a soldier and an agricultor from Assam. On the left, the pedagogue wears a brocaded robe with arabesques under an overcoat with three-quarter sleeves and lined with thin, diagonal stripes, and a hat with a pattern of lozenges and pearls on the band, and a scrolling panel on the back. He holds a scroll of paper in his hands, and carries a sword (?) inside his overcoat. The points of his shoes peek at the bottom of the robe. The son of a Turkish Christian wears an asymmetrical jacket with long sleeves and fabric belt over long, tight trousers and flat shoes. He wears an elongated hat with a scarf around the head, with a bundle of flowers on the right side. He carries a sword on his left hip and plays a guitar. The soldier from Assam wears a long-sleeved robe and a striped belt with fringed edges, which holds a knife at his waist, and low-heeled, pointed-toe boots. He has a brimless, pointed hat on his head and mustache with scrolling tips. On his left shoulder he carries a halberd. The agricultor from Assam wears a fur-lined, short-sleeved jacket over a long-sleeved shirt with a fabric belt around the waist, tight, long trousers, and low-heeled, pointed-toe shoes. He carries a knife in his belt, and wears an elongated hat without brim.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Paedagogi habitus, qui Christianam prolem in disceplinam acceperit; Proles Christiana Turcorum Imperatori tributa; Assamoglani habitus, qui ad militiam se instituit; Asmoglam vestituis qui ad agriculturam exerceturPaedagogi habitus, qui Christianam prolem in disceplinam acceperit; Proles Christiana Turcorum Imperatori tributa; Assamoglani habitus, qui ad militiam se instituit; Asmoglam vestituis qui ad agriculturam exerceturPaedagogi habitus, qui Christianam prolem in disceplinam acceperit; Proles Christiana Turcorum Imperatori tributa; Assamoglani habitus, qui ad militiam se instituit; Asmoglam vestituis qui ad agriculturam exerceturPaedagogi habitus, qui Christianam prolem in disceplinam acceperit; Proles Christiana Turcorum Imperatori tributa; Assamoglani habitus, qui ad militiam se instituit; Asmoglam vestituis qui ad agriculturam exerceturPaedagogi habitus, qui Christianam prolem in disceplinam acceperit; Proles Christiana Turcorum Imperatori tributa; Assamoglani habitus, qui ad militiam se instituit; Asmoglam vestituis qui ad agriculturam exercetur

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.