Ottoman artifacts on display in London: Fatih's medallion at auction

Numerous artifacts from the Ottoman period found buyers at an auction held at Bonhams Auction House in London, where Islamic and Indian works were put up for sale.

The 1450-dated medallion, which is among the most important pieces of the auction and bears the portrait of Fatih, went to auction with a starting price of 900 thousand pounds (approximately 37 million lira).

SALE NOT COMPLETED

At the end of the auction, a bid of 1.4 million pounds was made for the medallion.

Bonhams Auction House did not include the medallion among the works sold as a result of the auction. In a statement made by the auction house, it was noted that the 1.4 million pound bid remained below the reserve price set for the sale, and therefore the sale was not completed.

It is believed that the image of Fatih engraved on the medallion, which was up for sale at the auction, is the oldest portrait of the Ottoman sultan.

Bonhams dates the medallion, which is stated to have been made during Fatih Sultan Mehmet's time as a prince and bears the inscription "Great Prince, Great Emir, Sultan Mehmet Efendi," to 1450.

The claim that the medallion, which is thought to have been worn around the neck or hung somewhere due to the hole on it, was used for talismanic purposes is also among the information shared by Bonhams.

IZNIK TILES ALSO SOLD

At the auction, the first of 3 tiles, thought to be made in Iznik and measuring 25 centimeters by 25 centimeters, found a buyer for 12 thousand pounds (490 thousand lira), the second for 14 thousand pounds (570 thousand lira), and the last for 15 thousand pounds (613 thousand lira).

A 30-centimeter diameter tile plate dated 1575, also estimated to have been made in Iznik, was sold for 55 thousand pounds (approximately 2.2 million lira).

At the auction, a silver incense burner from the Ottoman period was sold for 2 thousand pounds (approximately 81 thousand lira), and a rosewater sprinkler, used for pouring rosewater, was sold for 3 thousand 200 pounds (approximately 130 thousand lira).

News Source: 12punto