The Book of Felicity

The Book of Felicity (Matali' al-Saadet) is an illuminated manuscript made in the Ottoman Empire in 1582. Commissioned by Sultan Murad III, who ruled the empire from 1574 to 1595, its text was translated from Arabic into Ottoman Turkish and all its miniatures were apparently directed by the famous master Nakkaş Osman, who undoubtedly painted the opening series of images related to the signs of the zodiac. Osman, the head of the painters at the seraglio workshop from 1570 onwards, created a style renowned for its lifelike portraits that influenced other artists in Murad's court.