Portrait of a Woman in a Blue Turban art by Eugene Delacroix.Despite what the garb suggests, this woman is not an native Arab. The turban, dress, and necklace are all most likely props, courtesy of Eugene Delacroix. This is not the first time a turban has been worn in a painting, but it is one of the first to have a non-white person of possible Arab or African descent as its subject in a fairly realistic and flattering manner.The European realms always had a fascination with the Arab and Asian cultures to the east of them, but not seen not seen much of them apart from the occasional skirmish or through articles of art acquired through trade. When Napoleon occupied Egypt between 1798 and 1801, they were encouraged to not just learn of these cultures via books and print, but actually experience them firsthand.