Mahomet II (1430-1481) c. 1902

Curator: Here we have a bronze plaquette depicting Mahomet II, dating from around the 15th century. It's currently part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It feels...stately. Almost severe, in its depiction of power. The dark bronze adds to that sense of authority. Curator: These portrait plaquettes were often commissioned by rulers and the elite as a form of political self-fashioning. What does it mean to fashion one's self? Editor: It's an interesting act of self-definition. Placing the portrait within a broader context, it raises questions about how historical figures are remembered and perceived. Curator: Exactly. And how these objects functioned within the courts and political landscape of the time. The image of the conqueror, the authority that he projects. Editor: For me, it’s an intimate look at power and the politics of image-making during a transformative time. Curator: Indeed, and understanding that can illuminate the larger historical narrative.