Portrait of Mehmet II

The Portrait of Mehmet II is a painting by the Venetian artist Gentile Bellini, depicting the Ottoman sultan, Mehmet the Conqueror, now in the National Gallery, London. It was painted in 1480 while Bellini was in Constantinople on a diplomatic mission. This painting is a record of the significant economic and diplomatic ties that existed 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 their close 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 Italian painter to be in residence at his court and paint for him; this task was placed upon Gentile Bellini. At the time, Bellini was a painter of doges, primarily in Venice. Thus, Italy's decision to send Bellini to Istanbul to paint a portrait of Mehmet II was a diplomatic gesture, aimed at fostering peace and promoting cooperation between the two nations.

In the 19th century, the painting of Sultan Mehmet was in poor condition and had been heavily repainted. There was too much mishandling and over cleaning which resulted in many art historians being unable to confirm the painting is by Bellini's hand. Now art historians agree that about 10% of what we see in this painting is done by the Renaissance master Gentile. Regardless this painting shows off the skills of Gentile Bellini who was well regarded by the Sultan, this painting shows off clever combinations of European and Islamic culture which reinforces the Sultan's choice of wanting a Venetian painter in his court. Bellini's portrait left a lasting influence on Ottoman painting; several paintings, one attributed to Shiblizade Ahmed, exist that derive their compositions from Bellini's.