Hans Eworth
Born Belgium, 1520; died England, 1574
Portrait of SĂĽleyman the Magnificent on Horseback, 1549
Oil on panel
Portraits of Ottoman leaders were popular throughout Europe. To hang a portrait such as this one in a wealthy English home signaled that the owners were worldly and sophisticated. This is the earliest known surviving work of its kind in England, a portrait of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, who ruled over the Ottoman Empire from 1520 until his death in 1566. The portrait brought together many conventions of depicting important Ottomans. Süleyman’s large turban and majestic horse evoked a powerful elegance, while the armed men, the women and children, and the obelisk (tower) on the right were clichés used by Europeans to depict the Ottoman world.
