From time to time a book will inspire us more than most, or convince us that the direction our own thinking has recently taken is worthwhile, or simply engage us in a thought-provoking historical story that is very well-told. Elizabeth Rodini, a distinguished art historian based in Rome, has achieved all this and more with her latest book.

Susan Scollay, Emporium

Elizabeth Rodini's thoughtful account traces the circuitous journey made by the portrait of Mehmet the Conqueror by Gentile Bellini that now belongs to the National Gallery in London … The book fortuitously coincides with the Istanbul Municipality's purchase of a related picture … It is unlikely, however, that its story will be as rich or colourful as the one she tells about the London portrait.

Cornucopia

Rodini manages to be both erudite and personable. She has an eye for the compelling anecdote. The book is never dull or overly detailed.

Asian Review of Books

Rodini's study covers the journey of this painting through time and geographies, revealing interactions and encounters between different cultures and politics, and throwing light upon concepts of likeness, symbolism and patrimony ... resulting in a new inspiring reading.

Günsel Renda, Professor at the Department of Archaeology and History of Art, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey.

Rodini's essential “social life” of the Mehmed II portrait evokes both a memoir and a mystery novel. Her cross-cultural study blends meticulous archival research and rich critical analysis to examine every aspect of this complex painting – from its physicality to its reception spanning its inception in fifteenth-century Constantinople to contemporary London.

Lia Markey, Director of the Center for Renaissance Studies, Newberry Library, Chicago, USA.

Rodini masterfully demonstrates the use of an intertextual methodology for making sense of rumors and traces throughout the book … [and] does not shy away from deep theoretical engagement, revisiting time and again the deceptively simple question of "what is a painting?"

21: Inquiries into Art, History, and the Visual