Sultan Bajezid I

The man with a pearl. This is how this portrait of one of the Turkish sultants created by the Venetian master Paolo Veronese could be entitled. It is not only a beautiful piece of art, but it also tells a fascinating story of the cultural exchange between Renaissance Europe and Ottoman Turkey in the 16th century. Paolo Veronese had never been to Turkey. His series of portraits of Turkish rulers is based on the works of Titian, Cristofano dell’Altissimo and others, which were inspired by the masterpieces collected in the "museon" of Italian bishop, Paolo Giovio. All of them relied of today unknown ottoman miniatures brought to Europe in the early 16th century. But it was Veronese's portraits that intrigued Sultan Murad III who requested the copies of the portraits of his predecessors. Original portraits are today in the Old Pinakothek in Munich. These copies until this day enrich the collection of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul and shape the image of Turkish history. This masterpiece is now presented in the National Museum of Krakow (Poland) within the exhibition "Ottomania: The Ottoman Orient in the Art of Renaissance" which focuses on the power of attraction which the Ottoman Empire exercised on Western artists. You will find more info about the exhibition on the museum website. :)