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Secondary sourcePaintingbetween 1552 and 1568

Saladino

Cristofano dell'Altissimo · between 1552 and 1568

A 16th-century oil portrait of Saladin, part of a copied series of historical portraits made centuries after his death.

This imagined 16th-century portrait represents Saladin in a European series of historical figures, made long after his death.

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Oil portrait of a bearded man in a large white turban with curled, pointed folds, dark robe with a white collar, and a small dark brooch. Dark background with the Latin inscription SALADINVS across the top.
Cristofano dell'Altissimo, Saladino, between 1552 and 1568. From the Giovio portrait series.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting by Cristofano dell'Altissimo, made between 1552 and 1568, shows a bearded man wearing a large white turban, identified by the Latin inscription SALADINVS. It belongs to a series of portraits copied from an earlier collection assembled by Paolo Giovio.

Why it matters

Because it was painted about four centuries after Saladin died, this portrait is not based on any real likeness of him. Instead, it shows how Renaissance Europeans imagined a famous historical Muslim ruler, blending costume and imagination to represent someone considered a notable figure from the past.

Look closer

  • Since no contemporary portrait of Saladin exists, what do you think the artist used to imagine his appearance?
  • Why might Europeans centuries later want a portrait of Saladin in a series of historical figures?
  • What does the clothing and turban in the painting suggest about how the artist pictured people from Saladin's region and era?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saladin on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Dirham of Saladin

AH 586 (AD 1190-91)

Engraving of a mounted figure in a tunic on a pale horse, with a banner-carrying rider behind him and a scroll above reading a proclamation. Soldiers with spears and a tent camp appear on the left, and a walled town on a hill behind. Caption below in print reads that Saladin caused it to be proclaimed that he carried nothing with him to the grave but a shirt.Painting

Secondary source

Saladin Proclaims He Will Take Only a Shirt to His Grave

John Payne · 1639

Exterior of the Saladin Citadel in Cairo at golden hour: thick tan stone walls with round towers and crenellated battlements, with the domed mosque and two slender minarets rising behind on the hilltop. A modern city street with trees and lamp posts lies to the right.Artifact

Primary source

Cairo Citadel

Saladin · begun 1176

Sepia photograph of the Tomb of Saladin in Damascus. A large stone arch spans the left, behind a domed structure with arched windows and a striped-arch window. Ruined walls, a rubble courtyard, and a few people near a ladder stand in front. The caption reads 791 Tombeau de Saladin Damas, with the name Bonfils.Photograph

Secondary source

Tomb of Saladin, Damascus

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Secondary source

Saladin Seizing the True Cross from Guy of Lusignan

Matthew Paris

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