Pair of Ottoman Style Portraits Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566) and his wife Roxelane (1500-1558)

Late 19th-early 20th Century, Pair of Ottoman Style Portraits, of Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566) and his wife Roxelane (1500-1558), Suleyman signed indistinctly lower right, oil on canvas, 30.5 x 25.5 cm, frame 40.5 x 35.5 cm, (2)

Suleiman I ruled as Ottoman sultan 1520-1566 and led Ottoman armies in conquering many European Christian strongholds and annexed large territories across the Middle East and North Africa. The Ottoman fleet became a dominant sea power stretching across the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Persian Gulf. He was celebrated for his reforms in law, taxation and education, and as a patron of arts and culture, his rule instigated a 'Golden Age' in Ottoman history. In 1533 Suleiman married Roxelana. Roxelana, Hürrem Sultan, was chief consort and first Heseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Suleiman's legal wife and the mother of Selim II. Roxelane played an active role in politics of the empire and diplomatic relations, she was a confident and advisor to the Sultan. The couple exchanged passionate love letters during periods when the Sultan was travelling elsewhere.