Painting of Hürrem Sultan sells for $173,000 at London auction

LONDON

A rare painting of Hürrem Sultan, known in the West as Roxelana and was the wife of legendry Ottoman Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, was sold at a London auction for 126,000 pounds ($173,000) on Oct. 27.

The sale came as part of an auction by Sotheby’s, one of the world’s largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewelry and collectibles, called “Arts of the Islamic World & India.”

The oil painting is from the late 16th-early 17th century.

Originally from what is now western Ukraine, Roxelana entered Suleyman’s harem and quickly became his favorite.

He broke convention by allowing her to bear not just one son but four. He then broke convention again by marrying her.

She was influential not only as his wife but was also at the heart of helping him run the empire. While Sultan Suleyman was away on campaigns, she would write to him and keep him updated on developments in the capital.

She was also a major sponsor of architecture and charitable foundations, including in Jerusalem.

Suleyman the Magnificent, also known as Kanuni Sultan Süleyman, is the longest-reigning Ottoman monarch who had been on the throne for 46 years until his death in 1566.