Although Turkish figures, typified by light skin and turbans, were commonly featured in Renaissance depictions of Christian martyrs, black Muslims make appearances as well. It is likely that this character is the Black Turk, a character as connected to the devil, much like his predecessor, the Black Saracen. In some cases, this character was identified as a "Moor," a word used as a general descriptor for all Muslims. Black Muslims were often featured in scenes that portrayed the devil. Following the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, there was a parade featuring a Black African as Charon, the ferryman who transported souls to Hades, as well as the occupant of the boat, an Ottoman, both symbols of Islamic damnation.

XREF: Connects to broader patterns of racialized religious symbolism in early modern Christian iconography and Orientalist imagery.

Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imag…, loc. 268