Odalisque

A odalisque was a Esclave virgin , which could go up to the statute of concubine or woman in the Sérail S Othoman S, but whose majority were with the service of the Harem Sultan. The word comes from Turkish odalık, who means “chambermaid”, of oda, “room”. In Literature, the term designates a woman of harem.

Odalisque was not a concubine of the harem, but it was possible that she became one about it. The odalisques ones were arranged with the bottom of the social scale in a harem, because they did not serve the sultan, but only his concubines and its wives like private chambermaids. The odalisques ones were generally slaves given in gifts to the sultan, even if certain families géorgiennes and Caucasians advised with their daughters to enter a harem like odalisques, by hoping that they could become concubines of palate, slaves preferred, or wives of the sultan.

Normally, odalisque was not never seen by the sultan, but rather remained under the orders of the mother of this one. If odalisque were of an extraordinary beauty or had exceptional talents for the dance or the song, was involved it to become a possible concubine. If it were retained, the odalisque one was used for the sexual pleasure of the sultan and it is only then that it changed statute, becoming as from this moment a concubine. In the Ottoman Empire, the concubines met the sultan only once, except if their address for the dance, the song, or the bed deserved its attention to them. So of the meeting of a concubine with the sultan the birth of a son followed, it became one of his wives.

In the Occident of the 19th century, odalisques became characters often used in the known artistic movement under the name of Orientalisme, and one meets them in a great number of erotic Peinture S as from this time. One can quote Large Odalisque table of Ingres and Olympya table of Manet like examples. Matisse also represented in some of its works of the odalisques ones.

In the popular use, the odalisque word can also make to allusion, with the mistress, the concubine, or the boyfriend of a rich man, which is inaccurate since these slaves were virgin.

Works representing of the odalisques ones

Sources

  • Imperial The Harem by Leslie Pierce
  • The Natural off the Othoman Early State by Heath W Lowry
  • Note: This article is taken partly in the edition of 1913 of the Webster' S Dictionary (Public domain)

External bonds

  • Some odalisques paintings

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