A miniature depicting Sultan Murad III (r. 1574–1595) in his library. It’s an illustrated folio from an Ottoman manuscript of the Cevahirü'l-garaib Tercemetü Bahrü'l-acaib (Gems of Marvels: A Translation of the Sea of Wonders), which was a Turkish rendering of the universal history written by the Ottoman scholar Mustafa Cennabi. 

Murad III was known as a bibliophile. According to art historian Emine Fetvaci, he was mostly interested in books of history and accounts of “rare and strange events.” Fetvacı also notes that the miniature shows reading as a social act. We see that Murad is surrounded by his courtiers and attendants, and not alone with his books. It is a testimony to the importance that book culture held for the Ottoman court. 

The manuscript is currently located at the Harvard Art Museums.