emightsaytohimself,”JustastheOttomanminiaturistshaveetoseetheworldlikeus,sohavetheOttomansthemselvesetoresembleus,“inturn,acceptingOurSultan’spowerandfriendship.Forifyoubegintodrawahorsedifferently,youbegiheworlddifferently.Despiteitspeculiarities,thishorsewasrehemaheoldmasters.”

    Themorewedeliberatedoverthehorse,themorebeautifulandpreciousitbecameinmyeyes.Hismouthwasslightlyopen,histonguevisiblefrombetweenhisteeth.Hiseyesshht.Hislegswerestronga.Didapaintingbeelegendaryforwhatitwasorforwhatwassaidaboutit?MasterOsmanwaseversoslowlymovingthemagnifyingleheanimal.

    “Whatisitthatthishorseistryingtovey?”Isaidwithhusiasm.“Whydoesthishorseexist?Whythishorse!Whataboutthishorse?Whydoesthishorseexciteme?”

    “Thepicturesaswellasthebooksissionedbysultans,shahsandpashasproclaimtheirpower,”saidMasterOsman.“Thepatronsfindtheseworksbeautiful,withtheirextensivegoldleafandlavishexpendituresoflaborandeyesightbecausetheyareproofoftheruler’swealth.Anillustratioyissignifitbecauseitisproofthataminiaturist’stalentisrareandexpelikethegoldusediure’screation.Othersfiureofahorsebeautifulbecauseitresemblesahorse,isahorseofGod’svisionorisapurelyimaginaryhorse;theeffectofverisimilitudeisattributedtotalent.Asforus,beautyinillustrationbeginswithsubtletyandprofusionofmeaning.Ofcourse,todiscoverthatthishorserevealsnotmerelyitself,butthehandofthemurderer,themarkofthatdevil,thiswouldaugmentthemeaningofthepicture.Thenthere’sfindingoutthatit’snottheimageofthehorse,butthehorseitselfthat’sbeautiful;t