Portrait of Sultan Selim II (r. 1566-1574), folio from an album

This portrait of the Ottoman sultan Selim II (r. 1566-1575) represents the Ottoman portraiture tradition which began in the fifteenth century with likenesses of Mehmed II, following Italian models. The figure, recognizable as Selim II with his drooping mustache from contemporary depictions, is seated on a throne under an arch and wears a ceremonial caftan with long sleeves lined with fur. His bejeweled belt, the red handkerchief attached to it, and his aigrette denote his imperial status. Moreover, his authoritarian pose and his way of tightly gripping the handkerchief point to his power as sultan. The inscription above the figure provides the sultan’s name and notes that he is the son of a sultan, thereby referencing his dynastic lineage. The checkered pattern bordering the painting and the marginal gilded floral decoration around it suggests that the painting was included in an album which was compiled by Kalender pasha (d. 1616) and commissioned by Sultan Ahmed I soon after 1610 and contained calligraphies, narrative scenes, drawings, paintings of single figures as well as the portraits of Ottoman sultans.