My Name is Red

Master Osman tells a story about Abdullah Khan, a suspicious ruler who did not allow his miniaturists to copy from one another’s work. He welcomed two famous masters fleeing war to his court, but refused to let them see each other’s paintings, which made both of them desperately curious. When Abdullah Khan died, the masters immediately rushed to each other’s rooms to view their paintings, only to be disappointed that they did not live up to their imagination. Standing in the treasury, Osman does not have the same experience; instead, he thanks God for the opportunity to view so many glorious manuscripts. Osman knows that, as a true master, he will eventually go blind, but he is glad that this has not happened yet. Pointing out a vivid red to Black, he claims that Allah only shows the true red in the blood of humanity. Throughout the night, they discuss the paintings, pointing out details and themes to one another.

Master Osman wonders if Black and Jemzi Agha have the same intense emotional reaction to the books as he does. He feels that only “true artists” who have suffered during their lives can render portrayals of violence, pain, and suffering in a vibrant way. Osman feels a profound sense of melancholy at the fate of miniaturists, who spend their lives laboring over art only to eventually disappear into “anonymity and blindness.” Looking at a painting, he recalls a time earlier in his life when he felt a profound desire for a beautiful young boy; thinking about his past brings tears to his eyes. Osman opens another volume at random and is astonished to find it is the work of the great master Bihzad. He tells Black: “We miniaturists are brethren… but now everything is coming to an end,” meaning miniature painting is being killed by the European style.

In the middle of the night, after Black has fallen asleep, Master Osman discovers the enormous Book of Kings. Osman feels distracted as he looks through it and wishes he could lose himself in it. By the time dawn arrives, Osman still hasn’t found a horse’s nose that will give any clue about the murderer’s identity, although he reminds himself that he still has one day left to look. He also sadly concludes that the Persians have produced “more masterpieces” than the Ottomans. Suddenly, Osman is seized by the impulse to scratch out the eyes of the figures lying before him. After he has done so, he wishes that blood would pour from the pages. In another book, Osman reads that, at the end of his life, Bihzad gouged his own eyes out with his painting needle. With Jemzi Agha’s help, Osman retrieves this same needle from another part of the treasury and shivers thinking about the fact that Bihzad held it in his own hands. Gazing into the mirror, Master Osman takes Bihzad’s needle and begins to gouge out his own eyes, smiling as he does so. The colors he can see begin to “bleed” into each other. Osman looks forward to seeing the most beautiful thing of all, God’s vision of the world.