| Nakkaş Osman | |
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The Siege of Vienna as illustrated by Nakkaş Osman. |
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| Field | 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]
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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]
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, emultating the blindness of the legendary miniaturist Bihzad. In the novel his dying represent "the end of the Ottaman miniatur" because after him, the miniaturists follow the "West Art".