What is Odalisque?
{{no sources|date=September 2023}} {{slavery}} [[File:Marià_Fortuny_-_The_Odalisque_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg|thumb|300x300px|[[Marià Fortuny]] – ''The Odalisque'']] [[File:François_Boucher,_Ruhendes_Mädchen_(1751,_Wallraf-Richartz_Museum).jpg|thumb|[[François Boucher]], Ruhendes Mädchen (1751, Wallraf-Richartz Museum)]] An '''odalisque''' ({{Lang-ota|[[wikt:اوطه‌لق#Ottoman_Turkish|اوطه‌لق]]}}, {{lang-tr|odalık}}) was a [[Maid|chambermaid]] or a female [[attendant]] in a Turkish [[seraglio]], particularly the [[Lady-in-waiting|court ladies]] in the household of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[sultan]]. == In orientalist art == In western usage, the term came to mean the harem [[concubine]]. They were often shown in paintings. They started a genre. In these pictures, a woman is shown mostly or completely nude in a reclining position, often in the setting of a [[harem]]. == Original usage of the term == In the original usage of the term, an odalisque was at the lower social levels of a harem. ''Odalıklar'' did not serve the master of the harem. They served his wives and concubines as a chambermaid. Usually, odalikar were [[Slavery|slaves]], that were given to the Sultan by wealthy Turkish men. Most of the time, they were slaves from [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], or [[Circassia]]. Generally, an ''odalık'' was never seen by the sultan but instead remained under the direct supervision of his mother, the [[Valide sultan]]. If an ''odalık'' was very beautiful or had exceptional talents in dancing or singing, she would be trained as a possible concubine. If selected, an ''odalık'' trained as a court lady and would serve the sultan sexually. Only after such sexual contact would she change in status, becoming one of the consorts of the sultan. Note that the contacts between the sultan, his sons, and the girls and women of the harem were strictly regulated. Most members of the harem had to lead a life of sexual abstinence. In that way, a harem was more like a monastery. [[File:Ingres_Odalisque_esclave_Fogg_Art