Veli Can

Seated peri. Miniature from an album (muraqqa) in Topkapı Palace Library, H. 2162, fol. 8v Veli Can (Persian form: Vali Jan) (fl. c. 1580 to c. 1600) was an Ottoman painter known for his works in saz style.

Born in Tabriz, according to Mustafa Ali he was a student of Siyavush and came to Istanbul (c. 1580). Under Murad III (1574–1595) saz style (from saz: "reed"; long, feathery leaf which was the basic element of the compositions) reached its apogee. Veli Can is the most prominent of the later 16th-century painters associated with the albums compiled for Murad III. He worked for the sultan, and album pages are, "more or less speculatively attributed to him". To judge from these, he was primarily interested in figural subjects. Veli Can was the historical template for the character "Olive" in novel My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk.