Sulaiman the Magnificent, Sultan of Turkey (1520–1566)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

After he captured Belgrade in 1521, and the kingdom of Hungary in 1526 and laid siege to Vienna in 1529, the Ottoman sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520–66) achieved international fame and notoriety. Like Mehmet II before him, Süleyman was often portrayed on medals. Rulers throughout Europe both admired and feared the sultan, who was recognized as one of the viri illustri of his time. Several different casts of this oversized medallion survive.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art