Harvard Art Museums > 1985.217: Portrait of Sultan Selim II (r. 1566-1574), folio from an album Albums Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Portrait of Sultan Selim II (r. 1566-1574), folio from an album , 1985.217,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 25, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/215782. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1985.217 Title Portrait of Sultan Selim II (r. 1566-1574), folio from an album Classification Albums Work Type album folio Date c.1610 Places Creation Place: Middle East, Türkiye (Turkey), Istanbul Period Ottoman period Culture Ottoman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/215782 Physical Descriptions Medium Opaque watercolor and gold on paper Dimensions 35.2 x 20.6 cm (13 7/8 x 8 1/8 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History [Marianne Densmore, Paris, 10 July 1964], sold; to Edwin Binney, 3rd, 1964, bequest; to Harvard Art Museums, 1985. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Edwin Binney, 3rd Collection of Turkish Art at the Harvard Art Museums Accession Year 1985 Object Number 1985.217 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description This portrait of the Ottoman sultan Selim II (r. 1566-1575) represents the Ottoman portraiture tradition which began in the fifteenth century with likenesses of Mehmed II, following Italian models. The figure, recognizable as Selim II with his drooping mustache from contemporary depictions, is seated on a throne under an arch and wears a ceremonial caftan with long sleeves lined with fur. His bejeweled belt, the red handkerchief attached to it, and his aigrette denote his imperial status. Moreover, his authoritarian pose and his way of tightly gripping the handkerchief point to his power as sultan. The inscription above the figure provides the sultan’s name and notes that he is the son of a sultan, thereby referencing his dynastic lineage. The checkered pattern bordering the painting and the marginal gilded floral decoration around it suggests that the painting was included in an album which was compiled by Kalender pasha (d. 1616) and commissioned by Sultan Ahmed I soon after 1610 and contained calligraphies, narrative scenes, drawings, paintings of single figures as well as the portraits of Ottoman sultans. Publication History Edwin Binney III, Turkish Treasures from the Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd, exh. cat., Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR, 1979), page 30-31/figure 15 Exhibition History The Ottoman Empire: A Culture and Its Impact, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 03/25/1989 - 05/21/1989 The Ottomans and their Contemporaries, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 03/21/1992 - 05/17/1992 A Grand Legacy: Arts of the Ottoman Empire, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 10/09/1999 - 01/02/2000 32Q: 2550 Islamic, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 05/14/2015 Imagine Me and You: Dutch and Flemish Encounters with the Islamic World, 1450–1750, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 05/18/2024 - 08/18/2024 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
