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Circassian beauties is a phrase used to refer to an idealized image of the women of the Circassian people of the Northern Caucasus. A fairly extensive literary history suggests that Circassian women were thought to be unusually beautiful, spirited, and elegant, and as such were desirable as concubines. This reputation dates back to the later Middle Ages, when the Circassian coast was frequented by traders from Genoa, and the founder of the Medici dynasty, Cosimo de' Medici, had an illegitimate son from a Circassian slave. During the Ottoman Empire and Persian Safavid and Qajar dynasties, Circassian women living as slaves in the Sultan's Imperial Harem and Shah's harems started to build their reputation as extremely beautiful and genteel, which then became a common trope in Western Orientalism.〔Irvin Cemil Schick, ''Çerkes Güzeli: Bir Şarkiyatçı İmgenin Serüveni'' (Fair Circassian: Adventures of an Orientalist Motif ), trans. A. Anadol (İstanbul: Oğlak Yayınları, 2004).〕 As a result of this reputation, in Europe and America Circassians were often characterised as ideals of feminine beauty in poetry and art. Cosmetic products were advertised, from the 18th century on, using the word "Circassian" in the title, or claiming that the product was based on substances used by the women of Circassia. In the 1860s the showman P. T. Barnum exhibited women whom he claimed were Circassian beauties. They wore a distinctive Afro-like hair style, which had no precedent in earlier portrayals of Circassians, but which was soon copied by other female performers, who became known as "moss haired girls". ==Literary allusions== The legend of Circassian women in the western world was enhanced in 1734, when, in his ''Letters on the English'', Voltaire alludes to the beauty of Circassian women: Their beauty is mentioned in Henry Fielding's ''Tom Jones'' (1749), in which Fielding remarked, "How contemptible would the brightest Circassian beauty, drest in all the jewels of the Indies, appear to my eyes!"〔Henry Fielding, ''Tom Jones'', book 5, ch. 10〕 Similar erotic claims about Circassian women appear in Lord Byron's ''Don Juan'' (1818–24), in which the tale of a slave auction is told: :''For one Circassian, a sweet girl, were given, Warranted virgin. Beauty's brightest colours Had decked her out in all the hues of heaven. Her sale sent home some disappointed bawlers, Who bade on till the hundreds reached the eleven, But when the offer went beyond, they knew ‘Twas for the Sultan and at once withdrew.'' :: - ''Don Juan'', canto IV, verse 114 The legend of Circassian women was also repeated by legal theorist Gustav Hugo, who wrote that "Even beauty is more likely to be found in a Circassian slave girl than in a beggar girl", referring to the fact that even a slave has some security and safety, but a "free" beggar has none. Hugo's comment was later condemned by Karl Marx in ''The Philosophical Manifesto of the Historical School of Law'' (1842) on the grounds that it excused slavery.〔Karl Marx, (The Philosophical Manifesto of the Historical School of Law )", first appearing in Supplement to the ''Rheiniche Zeitung'' No. 221, August 9, 1842. (Excerpts online)〕 Mark Twain reported in ''The Innocents Abroad'' (1869) that "Circassian and Georgian girls are still sold in Constantinople by their parents, but not publicly."〔Mark Twain, ''The Innocents Abroad'', ch. 34.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Circassian beauties」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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