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Sultan Süleyman II in profile
Vienna, Austria
Kunsthistorisches Museum
About Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
After AD 1543
GG_2429
Oil on canvas
98cm x 85cm
Venetian
Italy, Venice
This portrait of the Ottoman Sultan Süleyman (AD 1494/5– 1566) is generally attributed to Titian’s circle, mainly because of the inscription on the back of the painting. No original portrait of Süleyman by Titian has survived, but inventories document four portraits by him, among them two tentatively identified as portraits in profile. Comparison with other recorded portrait-types of Süleyman shows that its genesis is connected with a prototype disseminated by Paolo Giovio (AD 1483–1552) after AD 1543, when he commissioned a number of copies of portraits of sultans for his portrait collection at Como. This year marks the terminus post quem for this painting.
Inscription on the back of the painting "Tiziano" and stilistical analysis as well as historical context.
The painting is recorded in the Inventory of the Imperial Gallery dated AD 1772 (number 130): "Ein Türcken Kopf". Probably the same painting recorded in the inventory of the collection of Archduke Ferdinand II of Tirol AD 1596.
The painting is recorded in the Inventory of the Imperial Gallery dated AD 1772 (number 130): "Ein Türcken Kopf". Probably the same painting recorded in the inventory of the collection of Archduke Ferdinand II of Tirol AD 1596.
Bischoff, Cäcilia, "Sultan Süleyman", in Sylvia Ferino Pagden (ed), Der späte Tizian und die Sinnlichkeit der Malerei, exh. cat., Wien: Kunsthistorisches Museum, 2007: 167-168.
Deiters, W., "Is Titian painting the Sultan?” in Robert Born, Michal Dziewulski and Guido Messling (eds), The Sultan's World, exh. cat., Brussels/ Krakow: Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2015: 182-183.
Haag, Sabine, Sandbichler, Veronika, Klarer, Mario, Piraten und Sklaven im Mittelmeer, exh.cat. Schloss Ambras, Innsbruck: Haymon, 2019.
Sandbichler, Veronika, "Süleyman der Prächtige,“ in Veronika Sandbichler (ed), Türkische Kostbarkeitenaus dem Kunsthistorischen Museum, exh. cat., Wien: Kunsthistorisches Museum, 1997: 47-49.
Francesca del Torre, Wencke Deiters "Sultan Süleyman II in profile" in Explore Islamic Art Collections. Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;at;Mus22;10;en
Prepared by: Francesca Del Torre, Wencke Deiters
Copyedited by: Liz Cooper
MWNF Working Number: AT2 10
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