Suleiman the Magnificent's Venetian helmet

In addition to military campaigns, Suleiman also took political and diplomatic steps in order to advance the Ottoman position, promoting trade with European powers and purchasing expensive jewels such as the helmet.

Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha, famous for his taste for finery, likely commissioned the crown in 1532 from Venetian goldsmith Luigi Caorlini and his partners.

The helmet was probably conceived as a response to the coronation of the Habsburg ruler Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor two years previously by Pope Clement VII.

As part of a larger set of objects, including a bejeweled saddle and throne, the helmet was meant to advertise to a European audience not only the Ottoman sultan's vast wealth, but also his claims to the title of Emperor and universal sovereignty.

In Belgrade, streets were decorated with triumphal arches in the style of the Roman Empire as Suleiman marched through along with a retinue of pages dressed in finery, including one that likely wore the helmet.

The carefully choreographed audience left the envoys "speechless corpses" as they gazed on the helmet, together with an associated collection of gold and jeweled items laid out in the Sultan's reception tent.