My Name is Red

The next day, Black returns to the palace to continue his detective work with Master Osman. The Sultan’s commander informs them that the Sultan believes they will find the murderer once they analyze the results of the drawing competition between the miniaturists. Master Osman, however, after perusing the drawings, states that the “painter hasn’t left a single trace” (296) of a horse similar to the one found on Elegant’s body. When the Sultan learns that they haven’t uncovered the murderer, he gives the pair permission to enter his treasury to study the manuscripts kept there in the hopes of finding the origins of the murderous artist’s style.

Locked inside the treasury, Osman and Black begin to look through the book collections within. The sheer amount of artwork overwhelms Black, but Osman ably notes differences in different artistic techniques and seems content just to browse the old works. At night, a guard arrives to let the men return home, but Osman wants to stay and keep working. Black decides to stay with the older man, despite his longing to return to Shekure.

Told from the perspective of a picture of two dervishes, or Islamic ascetics, this chapter relates their history. Now dead, the dervishes were once painted by a European artist who made money drawing the less reputable aspects of Eastern life. Originally housed in a European city, the painting ended up in the Sultan’s treasury. This brings the dervishes joy, as they are typically reviled in polite society, but now inhabit the collection of a ruler. At the end of their tale, though, the dervishes admit that they froze to death shortly after the European man painted their picture. However, one of them dreamt before their death that he was the subject of a painting that eventually made it to heaven.

Master Osman tells the story of a khan who wouldn’t allow his miniaturists to copy each other’s work. When the khan died, though, two of his artists decided to compare their work, curious about the other’s celebrated abilities. When they finally looked upon each other’s paintings, they were disappointed as the illustrations were not as beautiful as they expected. Both artists failed to realize, though, that they were now blind.

Like these miniaturists, Osman knows he will eventually go blind, but he is thankful to see all of the books in the Sultan’s collection before that occurs. As he and Black continue to search through the illustrations, Osman expresses delight in all he sees and feels sad that Black cannot experience the same ecstasy as the younger man is not a true artist.

Osman eventually opens a book illustrated by the famed master Bihzad, which is even more awe-inspiring than the previous volumes he scanned. Osman shares the book with Black and comments that “everything is coming to an end” (317). He explains to Black that art loses its power when Muslim artists begin to imitate European painters.

While Black falls asleep, Master Osman continues to search for drawings of a horse with odd nostrils but is unsuccessful. While gazing at the famous Book of Kings, Osman scrapes away the eyes of the men in the pictures. After he reads that Bihzad blinded himself with a golden plume needle, Osman finds the needle in the treasury and presses it to his pupils, blinding himself. Afterwards, Osman perceives that the colors of the world run into each other and is pleased to consider that he will be “looking at the world’s most beautiful pictures while trying to recollect God’s vision of the world” (324).

When Black awakens, he can tell that something is different about Master Osman. Osman tells Black that miniaturists of the past kept their honor by purposefully blinding themselves. Black, however, hopes to stare at Shekure for eternity rather than go blind. While looking through more manuscripts, Black discovers an illustration of a horse made in the Chinese style with peculiar nostrils just like the drawing recovered from Elegant’s corpse. He rushes to show the drawing to Osman, but the older man cannot fully see the work and Black realizes that Osman is going blind.

As Black describes the drawing, Osman recognizes the nostrils as a clipped in the Mongolian style. Olive drew a similar horse, but Osman doesn’t believe Olive is the murderer. Instead, Osman thinks that Stork murdered Elegant after the Elegant told Stork that he found their work sacrilegious. Osman also believes that the conservative religious group Elegant followed probably murdered Enishte in retaliation for Elegant’s death. Osman adds that the secret book is heretical and that the three remaining miniaturists deserve torture for their part in it. That evening, Black and Osman are allowed to return home. Aware that they have solved the mystery, Black looks forward to consummating his marriage to Shekure. When he arrives at their house, though, Black finds it empty.

Black confronts Esther, who tells him that Shekure’s first husband has come back, but Black is aware that she is lying. Esther then admits that Hasan tricked Shevket into believing his father had returned from the war and was waiting for his family at Hasan’s house. After Shevket went to Hasan’s house, Shekure waited for Black’s return, but grew worried and went to her former brother-in-law’s to be with her son.

Black decides to raid Hasan’s house and retrieve his wife and stepsons. Gathering a group of men, Black goes to Hasan’s and demands entry. When they are denied, Black sends Esther in with a note for Shekure, explaining that he has learned who killed her father.

Esther talks with Shekure, learning that the young woman “was duped by Hasan” (344), into believing that Black had confessed under torture to playing a part in Enishte’s murder. She then promises to return to Black. However, her father-in-law steps in and attempts to make Shekure stay.

Esther returns to Black, explaining that Shekure wants to return to him but has conditions, including that Black fulfill his earlier promises to her. Black and his men begin battering down the door, and Esther advises Shekure to leave with her husband. Shekure, however, is afraid of Hasan’s revenge and won’t budge. Eventually, Orhan opens the door, allowing his family to escape Hasan’s house. On their way back, they see the conservative group led by Erzurumi attacking the coffeehouse.