LE VOIR POUR LE CROIRE : VOYAGEURS FRANÇAIS ET BATELEURS TURCS À LA RENAISSANCE

Abstract

Sixteenth-century French travellers to the Ottoman Empire often described in their writings
the extraordinary feats of legerdemain and agility performed by jugglers and acrobats
in the streets of Constantinople, within the residences of Western ambassadors, or during
imperial public celebrations. Filled with fascination and wonder, these accounts played a
major role in spreading and cementing the reputation for excellence of Turkish jugglers in
Europe. They also greatly contributed to learned discussions about the art of jugglers and
illusionists in the early modern period, especially those held in demonological treatises.