Pope Leo X: Did you mean...?

A 1526 CE portrait by Sebastiano del Piombo of Pope Clement VII (r. 1523-1534 CE). (National Museum of Capodimonte, Naples, Italy)

A 1775 portrait by Pompeo Batoni of Pope Pius VI (r. 1775-99). (National Gallery of Ireland)

Portrait of a Humanist by Sebastiano del Piombo c. 1520. The identity of the person is unknown. Dietrich Rauchenberger has suggested that the painting may depict Leo Africanus (1485-1554).

An early title page from The History and Description of Africa by Leo Africanus (1485-1554), first published in 1526.

A gold coin depicting Byzantine emperor Leo IV (r. 775-780 CE) on the right and his son and successor Constantine VI (r. 780-797 CE) on the left. (Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com)

Many scholars, without concrete evidence, believe that Leo Africanus 1485-1554 was the inspiration behind William Shakespeare’s Othello, shown here with Desdemona in an 1849 painting by Théodore Chassériau, currently...

An 18th century CE depiction of Byzantine emperor Leo VI (r. 886-912 CE) and his wife Saint Theophano.

A gold solidus coin depicting Constantine V, emperor of the Byzantine empire between 741 and 775 CE (right) and Leo III (r. 685-741 CE)

A penitent Leo VI, Byzantine emperor 886-912 CE, from a mosaic in the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul.

A gold solidus (nomisma) coin of Byzantine emperor Leo V the Armenian (r. 813-820 CE). The reverse side shows his son Constantine. (Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com)