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Secondary sourcePainting1616

Sultan Mehmed II in Tadj al-Tawarikh

1616

A 1616 Ottoman miniature of Mehmed II seated on a throne, made for the chronicle Tadj al-Tawarikh. It is a later image that reflects Ottoman royal portraiture.

Shows Mehmed II as a seated sultan in a chronicle, part of how later Ottomans remembered his reign.

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Miniature painting of a bearded man in a large white turban with a green plume, seated on a red and gold cushioned throne in a green robe with gold patterns. A figure in a white turban lies at the lower left, and attendants in patterned robes stand at the edges. Geometric tiled pattern in pink behind.
Sultan Mehmed II, from Tadj al-Tawarikh (The Crown of the Chronicles), 1616, Ottoman. Musée Jacquemart-André, Ms 13141.

About this source

What it is

This is a miniature painting of Mehmed II from Tadj al-Tawarikh, which means The Crown of the Chronicles, made in 1616 in the Ottoman style. The sultan has a beard and a large white turban with a green plume. He sits on a red and gold cushioned throne in a green robe with gold patterns. A figure in a white turban lies at the lower left, and attendants in patterned robes stand at the edges. The manuscript is held by the Musée Jacquemart-André as Ms 13141.

Why it matters

Chronicles like this one told the story of the Ottoman dynasty for later readers. Painted about 135 years after Mehmed II's death, the image shows how his reign was remembered. The curator describes it as a later copy of an Ottoman image, so it is one step removed from the time of the sultan himself.

Look closer

  • Who are the attendants and the figure at the lower left, and what roles do they play in the scene?
  • Why would a chronicle show the sultan on a throne with patterned tiles behind him?
  • What might this chronicle have wanted readers to think about Mehmed II's rule?

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

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