[1] The oldest known illustrations of Nakkaş Osman's were made between 1560 and 1570 for a Turkish translation of the epic Persian poem Shahnama by Ferdowsi.
[2] He is known to have been the chief illustrator of the various official histories written by Seyyid Lokman for Murad III that were produced in this era, including the Zafername (Book of Victories), the Şahname-ı Selim Han[b] (Book of Kings of Selim Khan).
[3][4] In 1582 he worked on the astrological Book of Felicity, and around 1585 he was one of the illustrators of the Siyer-i Nebi, an epic on the life of Muhammad written around 1388.
His illustrations show careful attention to the most minute detail, depicting events in a realistic style.
The tale of Rostam and Sohrab, for example, had heretofore always been represented the same way, with peripheral characters who appear "distant, detached, and still, [and who] scarcely display any trace of facial or bodily expression", whereas in Osman's version[c] Sohrab's groom looks to be "collapsing with grief and shock" as he witnesses Rostam killing his own son.