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Lot Essay
In the fifteenth century, artistic contacts between Italy and the East were of two principal kinds. They either involved artists representing visiting Orientals, the most famous example being Pisanello's medal of the Emperor John Paleologus, or artists actually travelling to the Ottoman Empire, as Gentile Bellini did at the invitation of Sultan Mohammed (Mehmet) II, who was also portrayed by Bertoldo di Giovanni and Costanzo da Ferrara on medals. More generally, orientals were included in numerous paintings to add exotic colour, as indeed were their carpets, ceramics, and so on. Hardly surprisingly, Venice and Northern Italy were more profoundly affected by oriental influences than the rest of Italy.
The present pictures, however, would appear to be Central Italian in origin, and to have been executed around the third quarter of the sixteenth century by an artist close to Vasari. They represent Sultan Selim I, who reigned from 1512-1520, and was known as 'the Intransigent', together with Khair ed-Din Barbarossa, who lived from around 1480 to 1546, and was the greatest of the mediterranean corsairs of his day. He allied himself with Selim, was appointed Beylerbey (Governor General) of North Africa by him, and was subsequently named as the Kapudan (Grand Admiral) of the Turkish fleet by his successor, Suleiman the Magnificent. A portrait of Khair ed-Din from Schloss Ambrass, believed to be Italian c. 1580, was paired with a pendant of Andrea Doria, whom he defeated in a sea-battle at Préveza in 1538 (Berlin, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Europa und der Orient 800-1900, 28 May-27 August 1989, pp. 703-5, no. 7/39, fig. 782). It is evidently a likeness of the same person, also in profile, although it is not clear whether they derive from a common source or not. The description of Selim as 'EVERSOR' refers to the fact that he overthrew his father, Bajazet II, and killed off his brothers in order to secure the sultanate.
The present pictures, however, would appear to be Central Italian in origin, and to have been executed around the third quarter of the sixteenth century by an artist close to Vasari. They represent Sultan Selim I, who reigned from 1512-1520, and was known as 'the Intransigent', together with Khair ed-Din Barbarossa, who lived from around 1480 to 1546, and was the greatest of the mediterranean corsairs of his day. He allied himself with Selim, was appointed Beylerbey (Governor General) of North Africa by him, and was subsequently named as the Kapudan (Grand Admiral) of the Turkish fleet by his successor, Suleiman the Magnificent. A portrait of Khair ed-Din from Schloss Ambrass, believed to be Italian c. 1580, was paired with a pendant of Andrea Doria, whom he defeated in a sea-battle at Préveza in 1538 (Berlin, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Europa und der Orient 800-1900, 28 May-27 August 1989, pp. 703-5, no. 7/39, fig. 782). It is evidently a likeness of the same person, also in profile, although it is not clear whether they derive from a common source or not. The description of Selim as 'EVERSOR' refers to the fact that he overthrew his father, Bajazet II, and killed off his brothers in order to secure the sultanate.