Читать книгу Art in Theory - Группа авторов - Страница 26

This draft of a letter, dated 14 March 1480, is from the Venetian Senate to Sultan Mehmed II acknowledging the despatch of artists to Istanbul, following secret deliberations by the Senate. In Raby’s view, the ‘copper founder’ is the Paduan sculptor Bartolomeo Bellano, and ‘the painter’ is Gentile Bellini. The letter is taken from Raby op cit, Appendix 2, Document 2, where it is reprinted in full. It was translated for the present volume by Giuliana Paganucci and Richard Dixon and edited by Paul Wood.

14 March 1480

Castanbegi [Hasan Bey], Ambassador of the Turkish lord, should not be further detained. But he must be placed in a condition to return to the aforesaid Lord with a message of reply, as dignified and cordial as possible, to all the requests that he has made. […] [A]fter the opening words of greeting, with regard to the founder and master builder whom he seeks, reply in these terms. That we have seen and spoken most willingly to the ambassador, as we have done also with all other ambassadors, as messengers who came to us on behalf of the Great Lord, and thus we are willing to see all the men and their servants of every condition, as his most Illustrious Lord has done and does with all of us: And this is an excellent sign of perfect benevolent and amicable peace between us which, for our part, we wish may last forever: And always, in all those convenient and reasonable things … we shall do them most willingly and cheerfully, as we did for that first founder of Copper, whom we sent to him in that craft most famous in our part; and also the painter: who if they have served and serve the aforesaid most Excellent Lord with contentment and satisfaction they do a thing as pleasing for us as they can do. And if we have in all our country another founder, we will send him immediately. […] And the same we say about a good master builder, and we will involve the castaldo in this task so that if we find someone sufficient for that desire our Lord will reassure them and also persuade them to come.