Medal, bronze, Mehmed II, by Costanzo da Ferrara, Italy, end of 15th century

There is an integral hoop at the top. Heavily moulded double bands on both sides contain the inscriptions.

Obverse:
Profile bust of Mehmed II, Sultan of Turkey facing left with bust at 3/4. He has a close-trimmed beard and wears a turban. Inscription.

Reverse:
Profile of the Sultan on Horseback facing left, the horse’s tail is knotted. He stands on faint rocky ground in front of two small bare trees. Inscription.

2nd state.

Salting Bequest

This medal is Costanzo da Ferrara's only known signed work. Costanzo was sent to Turkey by Ferrante I of Naples in response to the request of Sultan Mehmed II for a painter of high repute. He spent several years in Turkey and the first version of this medal was probably made in Constantinople during visits made either around 1467 or 1475/78. Costanzo was treated well at the court reportedly made a cavaliero (knight). This is a later version of his design with a remodelled inscription, dated 1481, which was probably produced back in Naples on the death of the Sultan.

Historical significance: The Ottoman Turkish Empire caused a great deal of anxiety to the Christian world as it expanded under Mehmed II's rule, and he was almost continually at war with Europe. Artists such as Bellini and Costanzo da Ferrara were sent out by their patrons at Mehmed's request to work at the court in Constantinople (now Istanbul) during times of peace. Portrait medals allowed the dissemination of Mehmed II's image throughout Italy and Western Europe. The medium was developed in the fifteenth century by Pisanello and others, inspired by classical coins and the intellectual and visual cultures of Ancient Greece and Rome. Portrait medals therefore had both Eastern and Western origins that meant Mehmed could take advantage of a shared cultural history to project his preferred image. Although now viewed in a Western art tradition, in the earliest examples of fifteenth century medals could be seen as a shared art form. The first Renaissance portrait medal by Pisanello commemorates an event of importance to both East and West – the Council of Florence-Ferrara, 1438. The Council intended to pacify the doctrinal differences between the Latin and Greek churches. Important figures such as the patriarch of Constantinople (Joseph II) and the Byzantine emperor John VII Palaeologus were part of the Greek delegation. Depicting the emperor John Paleologus in profile on the obverse and hunting on horseback on the reverse. Pisanello’s medal (a copy of which was found in a collection inherited from Mehmed II) was the source for the design of Costanzo’s medal of Mehmed himself. Through being depicted on horseback, the Sultan used a symbol of power that had currency in both Eastern and Western Europe. The popularity of these medals and Mehmed’s image on them by Italian artists also reflect his designs on conquering Italy, as well as his known interest in Italian sculpture, portraiture and technology.

Mehmed II was born on 30 March 1432 and died on 3 May 1481. At 21 he captured the capital of the fading Byzantine Empire following the siege of Constantinople, and in 1461 went on to take Trebizond on the Black Sea, then the only centre of Byzantine or Eastern Christian rule left. Mehmed II thought of himself as the heir to the Roman Empire and he adopted the title "Kayser-I-Rum" (Roman Caesar), claiming blood lineage to the Byzantine imperial family. In 1480 he invaded Italy, with the intention of reuniting the Roman Empire for the first time by capturing Rome. He captured Otranto, but fierce resistance from Ferrante of Naples and the Pope meant that it was reclaimed on his death in 1481. This medal may have been re-issued with the remodelled inscription and the date to commemorate the Sultan’s death.

Costanzo di Myosis and Costanzo Lombardo are also thought to be the same person.

Almost identical examples, featuring the double rimmed edge and the reworked inscription are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Münzkabinett in Berlin. A different and possibly earlier version is in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. This medal has been dated to c. 1477/1480 and may represent the source of inspiration for the medals of 1481, such as this one.

Costanzo da Ferrara was one of several Italian artists sent by their patrons to work at the Ottoman Sultan's court in Istanbul. Due to his plans to expand his Empire, Mehmed II was frequently at war with many of the Kingdoms and City States of Italy, but he sent envoys during times of peace requesting the best painters from them. He was fascinated by Italian sculpture, portraiture and technology, and sought portraits of himself. The depiction of Mehmed on horseback on the reverse of this medal is clearly based on an early portrait medal from 1438 by the artist Pisanello, celebrating the Byzantine Emperor Paleologus (a version of which was in the Sultan's collection). It simultaneously exploits the equestrian portrait as a symbol of power shared by Italian Renaissance and Ottoman culture and alludes to Mehmed's claim to be a descendent of the Byzantine royal family and therefore successor to the Holy Roman Empire.
This later version of Costanzo da Ferrara's original design, dated 1481, was probably remodelled back in Italy for a local market to mark the death of the Sultan that same year, following his recent conquests in Italy, at Otranto, were retaken and the Ottoman troops repulsed. It has been cast with an integral hoop at the top, suggesting it was intended to be hung suspended for display.

A.208-1910