Nakkaş Osman

Nakkaş Osman
The Siege of Vienna as illustrated by Nakkaş Osman.
Known for	Ottoman miniature

Nakkaş Osman (sometimes called Osman the Miniaturist) was the chief miniaturist for the Ottoman Empire during the later half of the sixteenth century. The dates of his birth and death are poorly known, but most of his works are dated to the last quarter of the sixteenth century.^[1]

The oldest known illustrations of Nakkaş Osman's were made between 1560 and 1570 for a Turkish translation of the Persian manuscript Firdawsis Shahnama.^[2] Among the works he illustrated, he is known to have been the chief illustrator of the various official histories written by Sayyid Lokman for Murad III that were produced in this era, including the Zafername (Book of Victories), the Şahname-ı Selim Han (Book of Kings) and the Şehinşahname (Book of King of Kings).^[3][4] He was also one of the illustrators of the Siyer-i Nebi, an epic on the life of Muhammad written around 1388, then illustrated around 1595.^[5]

Style

Osman's illustrative style has been described as "plain, yet perceptive". His illustrations show careful attention to the most minute detail, depicting events in a realistic style.^[6] His work influenced the next generation of court painters in the Ottoman Empire, with the important works of this era derived from his style.^[2]

Literature

Orhan Pamuk's novel "My Name is Red" is a fictional account of Osman and his workshop. In the story, Osman blinds himself with a needle, emulating the blindness of the legendary miniaturist Bihzad. In the novel his dying represents "the end of the Ottoman miniature" because after him, the miniaturists follow the "West Art".

Miniatures

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References

1. Feride Çiçekoglu (Winter 2003). "Difference, Visual Narration, and "Point of View" in My Name Is Red". Journal of Aesthetic Education (University of Illinois Press) 37 (4): 124–137. doi:10.2307/3527343. JSTOR 3527343.
2. "Osman [Nakkas Osman]". delete character in |title= at position 1 (help)
3. "Tarih-i Sultan Bayezid Nasuh al-Silahi al Matraki". Turkish Cultural Foundation.
4. Stefano Carboni. Venice and the Islamic World, 828-1797. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-12430-9.
5. "Siyer-i Nebi: The Life of the Prophet". Antika, The Turkish Journal Of Collectable Art (15). June 1986.
6. Serpi̇l Bağci̇ (2000). "From Translated Word to Translated Image: The Illustrated Şehnâme-i̇ Türkî Copies (in Later Responses to Paintings and Books)". Muqarnas 17: 162–176. doi:10.1163/22118993-90000012. ISSN 0732-2992. JSTOR 1523296.

External links