Jacopo
Bellini’s eldest son, Gentile (1429-1507), was taught painting in
the
workshop of his father. He had no shortage of commissions, his talent
as
a portraitist revealed itself at an early age. Gentile’s career was
spectacular.
In 1469, he was appointed count palatine by Emperor Frederick III, and
in 1479, at the age of fifty, the Republic of Venice sent him to
Constantinople
to paint the portrait of Sultan Mehmet II:
a great honor. The famous portrait of this oriental monarch, conqueror
of Byzantium, is now in the National Gallery, London. Mehmet “…could
hardly
understand,” wrote Vasari, “… how any mortal could possess the, as it
were,
divine skill of imitating nature so vividly.” Bellini returned, a whole
year later, piled high with gifts and honors, including the title of
“bey”
(knight). Read more of Gentile Bellini's biography...
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