BELLINI, Gentile
(b. ca. 1429, Venezia, d. 1507, Venezia)

The Sultan Mehmet II

after 1480
Bronze
Galleria Franchetti, Ca' d'Oro, Venice

Made after 1480, when Gentile accompanied a Venetian diplomatic expedition to the court of Constantinople, the medal bears the likeness of the Sultan Mehmet II. The features are modeled with the clear, vigorous lines typical of Gentile's portraits. The medal was based on sketches made from life.