A Turquerie fan depicting the Tophane Fountain in Istanbul, Europe, probably France or England, 19th century

Turquerie is at best defined as a Europeanised variation on the array of art forms typical of the Ottoman world. Instead of providing mere copies of the supposed subject, it aimed to reflect the exotic cultural environment from which it was conceived. The theme gave a new sense of boundlessness, as artists were free to apply it to multiple facets of the arts including music, visual arts, architecture, and sculpture. Whilst its decorative and highly aesthetical motif, first and foremost, provided its owners with visual pleasure, it often possessed a more symbolic stature used to indicate a person’s wealth and social standing.