A medallion depicting portraits of Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, known as Mehmet the Conqueror, has returned to its homeland, Istanbul, as the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) bought the medallion for nearly $44,200 at an auction in the United Kingdom.
The "Islamic and Indian Worlds Art, Oriental Rugs and Carpets" auction organized by Christie's Auction House in London sold the medallion, cast in Naples in 1481 by the Italian artist Constanzo da Ferrara and contains the inscription “Sultan Muhammad, the Byzantine Emperor, a descendant of Osman” along with the portrait of Sultan Mehmet.
On the reverse side of the coin, the Sultan is seen on a horse and written “Muhammad, Emperor of Asia and Greece, Equestrian Portrait on a campaign.”
The Latin inscriptions on both sides of the coin emerge as the most striking feature of the work. Described as one of the best portrait medals of the Renaissance, the medallion has only four copies in the world.
It is known that Ferrara, came to Istanbul upon Mehmed the Conqueror’s request to send artists from Italy. According to the statement made by the auction house, it is estimated that the portrait on the front of the coin was depicted when the Sultan was alive.
In 1453, Sultan Mehmet II conquered Istanbul, which was the capital of the Byzantine Empire, then made the city the new capital of the Ottoman Empire.
At the same auction, a copy of the Holy Quran, which is estimated to have been written in the middle of the 16th century during the Ottoman period, was among the works sold.
It was stated that the manuscript was sold for nearly $26,500 at the auction. Another Quran, which was written in 1878 in the Ottoman Empire, was bought for $13,200.
