Gentile Bellini had been sent by the…

Gentile Bellini had been sent by the Venetian Senate to the new Ottoman capital Constantinople as part of the peace settlement between Venice and the Turks.

His role is not only as a visiting painter in an exotic locale, but also as a cultural ambassador for Venice.

This is important to Mehmed II, as he is particularly interested in the art and culture of Italy, and he has attempted on several occasions to have himself portrayed by Italian artists.

He finally reached his goal with Gentile, who is believed to have painted the portrait of Mehmed II now in the National Gallery, London, (but largely overpainted).

It has been noticed that the portrait is like one of the figures in a painting by Marco Palmezzano, Jesus among the Doctors in the Temple (Brisighella, near Forlì and Ravenna), so the dating and authorship of the portrait by Bellini have been placed in question.