Q: Black Man Picart Seder picture? Bernard Picart (1663-1733) drew Dutch Seder (Jewish Passover) table of Sefardic Jews in 1752. My questions are: Who is the black man with turban in foreground? Why is he washing his feet? Why is he sitting on a stool? Why is he wearing a turban?
A: The black man is an Abyssinian. He is in the picture for two reasons. First, the book dealt with a variety of cultures. Its title should explain it: "Encyclopedia of the Religious Rites and Ceremonies of All Nations." In other words, there are people in the picture of more than one culture and background. Second, the Abyssinian was undoubtedly chosen for this particular illustration because many of the people of Abyssinia (now called Ethiopia) considered themselves Jewish. King Soloman went there and had a relationship with the Queen of Sheba. To this day, there is a Jewish population in Ethiopia, although the terrible discrimination they suffered has led most of them to move to Israel in the last 20 years. You can see the cover of a reproduction of the book at the source cited. Hope this helps. Good luck!!
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