odalisque
Ottoman harem slave
An odalisque is a female slave or concubine in a harem, particularly in the Ottoman Empire.
The term appears most often in art history, where odalisque paintings—reclining nude or semi-nude women in orientalist settings—became a European genre: Ingres's Grande Odalisque, Matisse's odalisques.
The word now evokes this artistic tradition more than actual historical practice.
Secondary female partner
- sultanaSeedless raisin variety
- courtesanPaid aristocratic companion
- slaveOwned human, forced laborer
- seraglioSecluded women's quarters
eunuch · sultan · paramour · mistress · favorite · consort · attendant · captive
Istanbul imperial palace
- ConstantinopleHistoric Turkish metropolis
- IstanbulTurkish city, formerly Constantinople
- palaceMonarch's official residence
- empireDomain under unified control
sultan · pasha · vizier · court · Byzantine · Turkish · Suleiman · dervish
French fauvism founder
- DelacroixFrench Romantic painter
- RenoirFrench Impressionist master
- paintingPigment on canvas
- canvasHeavy woven cloth
nude · reclining · pose · drapery · figure · composition · brushwork · masterpiece
Attractive, tempting quality
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
- sensualityPursuit of physical pleasure
- orientalismInterest in Eastern aesthetics
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
romanticized · foreign · opulent · luxurious · forbidden · veiled · enticing · enigmatic
concubine
Secondary female partner
seraglio · eunuch · sultan · paramour · mistress · favorite · consort · attendant · captive · seclusion
Topkapi
Istanbul imperial palace
- ConstantinopleHistoric Turkish metropolis
- IstanbulTurkish city, formerly Constantinople
- palaceMonarch's official residence
empire · sultan · pasha · vizier · court · Byzantine · Turkish · Suleiman · dervish · turban
Matisse
French fauvism founder
canvas · nude · reclining · pose · drapery · figure · composition · brushwork · masterpiece · gallery
allure
Attractive, tempting quality
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
- sensualityPursuit of physical pleasure
- orientalismInterest in Eastern aesthetics
fantasy · romanticized · foreign · opulent · luxurious · forbidden · veiled · enticing · enigmatic · idealized
odalisqueempress
Female ruler of empire
queen · noblewoman · sovereign · matriarch · citizen
odalisquevirago
Ill-tempered, domineering woman
Amazon · shieldmaiden · Valkyrie · dominatrix · Joan of Arc