Page 31 - The Lugdunum Auction 24

Numismatic importance

The fact that Mehmed had hosen portrait me-
c
dals, a recent invention of the Italian Quattro-
cento, for the purpose of promoting him as a
humanist prince, is clearly a further proof of his
knowledge and awareness of western artistic fa-
shions.
According to numerous testimonials of the
time, Mehmed was a cultivated monarch having
been taught by very important scholars. One of
them, was probably Cyriacus of Ancona, an Ita-
lian scholar who taught him Ancient History
and whose great interest in Ancient coins is well
known.
He might well have passed his interest in nu-
mismatics to Mehmed, who, inspired by the
numerous rediscovered Ancient Roman and
Greek coins, found on the territory covered by
the Ottoman empire, saw in medals the perfect
Cyriacus of Ancona (first portrait right, second row) unalterable medium for creating an eternal and
immortal statement in metal, that would, as
did Ancient coins, survive for centuries the
Artistic merit passing of time.

When we look at this medal, another great
artist comes to mind: Gentile Bellini, con-
sidered, at the time, the most prestigious
painter in Venice.

He was sent, as a cultural ambassador, to
Constantinople in 1479 by the Venetian
government as part of a peace settlement
between Venice and the Ottoman empire. On a
request made by Mehmed himself to content
his interest in the Italian art of naturalistic
portraiture.
Bellini’s portrait of the Sultan Mehmed II,
now at the National Gallery in London, is the
most famous and used illustration of the

Sultan. And we can clearly see that all
elements that make Mehmed‘s portrait by
Bellini so beautiful and realistic: like his
sunken neck, his arched brow and his Mehmed II by Gentile Bellini, 1479
aquiline nose can also be admired on this
medal. Making it, without any contest, of the
greatest artistic merit.

If you want to learn more about this exceptional medal, do not hesitate to watch
our www
QR-Code

31