Banquet of Distinguished Turkish Women

In 1717 an Englishwoman, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, the wife of the British ambassador, was invited to dinner by the wife of the grand vizier, the sultan's chief minister. In a letter home she described some 50 dishes, brought to the table one at a time. Vanmour is thought to have painted Lady Mary in Turkish dress around that time.

Here he shows a meal among women of a wealthy household. They sit at the table surrounded by enslaved servants, and on the sofa near the window a woman nurses her child. Visiting took up much of such women's days. They called on one another often, and guests frequently stayed the night.