Portrait of Mehmet II

Common card · No. 397087

The Portrait of Mehmet II is a painting by the Venetian artist Gentile Bellini, depicting the Ottoman sultan, Mehmet the Conqueror, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. It was painted in 1480 while Bellini was on a diplomatic mission in Constantinople. This painting records the significant economic and diplomatic ties between Venice and the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. Before this painting, the Ottomans had recently conquered Constantinople; this put the Venetian Republic in a situation where they had no choice but to accept a peace treaty from Mehmet, the conqueror, in 1479. Venice was actively tied with Constantinople through commercial links because of its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. The importation of raw silk, cotton, illuminated manuscripts, inlaid metalwork, and spices would have ground to a halt without this peace treaty. After a peace treaty was brokered between the Venetian Republic and the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Mehmet II decided that he would like an...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Gentile Bellini, Public domain