Talk:Mehmed II

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-- Suggested addition to Personal Life

Mehmed II had been exposed to European art and history from an early age, leading to his subsequent patronage of European artists later in life. As a boy, the young Sultan kept a sketchbook, in which he made a number of drawings in European style.^[1] His acquisition of Constantinople brought the growing empire into heavy, direct exposure to the Byzantine culture and legacy of trade and statecraft in the Mediterranean and presented him with an opportunity to indulge in his artistic interests.^[1] The Sultan’s first recorded commission of an Italian artist occurred in 1461, when he requested an artist to paint and sculpt from the Lord of Rimini, Sigismondo Malatesta.^[1]

More famous is his commission of Venetian artist Gentile Bellini to create a set of medals, and later a portrait in his likeness. Although not known as a medalist, Bellini also created a number of medals depicting the Sultan. One of the medallions designed by Bellini offers a profile of Mehmed on the front, ringed with the text “MAGNI SOULTANI MOHAMETI IMPERATORIS,” Of Great Sultan Mehmed, Emperor.^[2] On the reverse are three crowns in a stack, as well as the artist’s signature. Both the medals and the portrait created by Bellini would have communicated suitable titles for Mehmed II to a European audience; historian Antonia Cevizli mentions that it was likely that a Bellini medal was given to Lorenzo de’ Medici by the Ottoman envoy to Florence, and that the triple crown motif alluded to similar designs utilized by European powers, in this case representing Greece, Trebizond, and Asia, the three realms under Ottoman control.^[2] Cevizli also makes reference to the Venetian style of the Bellini portrait, aligning Mehmed II with previous doges and thereby providing a reference point for the Sultan in the minds of its viewers.^[2] The three crown motif is also present in this portrait.

Historian Julian Raby notes that in addition to these commissions, two sources suggest that the Sultan had also asked Bellini to produce erotica and an image of a Virgin and Child, which would supplement his existing collection of Christian relics and cultural artifacts.^[1] The influence of European art and culture was greatest in the Sultan’s private life, where he had the most contact with Byzantium and Europe; a different world from his public patronage of art and architecture, which took form in the mosques and fortresses of Istanbul.^[1]