Portrait of an Ottoman Dignitary

Unknown artist

ca. 1610

Opaque watercolour, ink and gold on paper

Aga Khan Museum

A man in a turban and ornate robes holds an open book and a staff. He has a long beard and is depicted in profile. Further Reading This portrait was likely based on a European engraving. Persuasive evidence of this influence can be found in the modelling of face and figure. Turned to the right, his eyes looking upward from a book and staff, the bearded man resembles a Christian saint or apostle. More specifically, his portrait seems to embody two styles of Italian portraiture: the Venetian, which commonly depicted upper-class citizens in three-quarter view against a blue background; and the Florentine, which followed the Roman tradition of depicting subjects with distant gazes, often dressed in antic costumes. From the late 16th century to the f