In a statement made by Bonhams Auction House, it was stated that the medallion dates back to the period when Mehmet the Conqueror was a prince.
The statement said that the portrait on bronze is the oldest known portrait of a Muslim leader by a Western artist and that the estimated sale price of the medal could be between 1.5 and 2 million pounds sterling.
"TILSIMED"
The artifact, which was discovered in 2000 in a collection of Italian Renaissance medallions, has the words "Great Prince, Great Emir, Sultan Mehmet Efendi" written in Latin on the edges, the statement said: "The most interesting thing is that there is no design or inscription on the back of the medallion, it is portable in size and has a smooth hollow on the top. It is thought to be a very personal and important item of the Sultan and that the medallion was worn as a talisman."
It was also noted that there is no signature or mark of the artist who made the medallion.
Oliver White, Director of Islamic and Indian Art at Bonhams, stated that there is no significant material evidence of Fatih from the period in which the artifact dates.
Emphasizing that the medallion is an important discovery in this respect, White said, "It is the only known medal showing Mehmet II as a young man before the conquest of Istanbul.It is thought to have been worn by the Sultan as a personal talisman."
The bronze medallion, which is estimated to date back to the princely period of Mehmet the Conqueror, will be auctioned on May 21.
