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A quale storia avrei aggiunto significato e raffinatezza?

Master Osman feverishly pores over illustration after illustration, more concerned with the beauty and technique of the past masters than his actual task. After wrestling with the Book of Kings and coming to the realization Bizhad had not worked on the illustrations—he had been blinded by this point—Osman blinds himself with the same needle and describes his field of vision becoming awash with colors.

Black and Osman, unable to deduce anything from the three horse illustrations, enter the Sultan’s treasury to search for a clue. A painting of two dervishes recounts its creation.

Just over halfway and I’m still really enjoying the philosophical sparring between the miniaturists. The debates about art, divinity, style, and influence are where this truly comes alive for me. I’m less convinced by the marriage subplot, though I’m starting to wonder if Şeküre is playing a far more strategic game than the men around her. 🤔

It’s undeniably long, but I’m thoroughly enjoying the philosophical posturing of the miniaturists. The debates about art, style, divinity, and influence are where this really sings for me. The murder plot feels almost secondary to the aesthetic argument, and I’m quite happy about that.

The murder spends the night at various haunts, including a “soup kitchen” and a coffeehouse telling stories about style, blindness, and horses. Satan tells of his origins, makes two refutations of his involvement with evil, and refutes the Frankish style—he chose not to bow down to Man. Shekure sneaks into Black’s room in the middle of the night, questioning his involvement in the murder, and hears a sound.