In commemoration
of the 1,700th anniversary of the establishment of the Armenian Church,
the Museum presents The Armenian Gospels of Gladzor, an exhibition devoted
to a rare Gospel book from the destroyed Armenian monastery at Gladzor.
On loan from the Department of Special Collections of the Charles E. Young
Research Library at UCLA, this masterpiece of 14th-century Armenian illumination
had been unbound for conservation, offering a rare opportunity for visitors
to see more than 60 pages of the manuscript, including dozens of brilliantly
colored miniatures illustrating the life of Christ.
The Gladzor
Gospels was begun around 1300, almost exactly 1,000 years after the Christianization
of Armenia in 301. In 1377, the Gladzor Gospels came into the possession
of an Armenian princess who treasured it and wrote a prayer in it. Over
the course of the following centuries, the manuscript traveled across Asia
and then to America, where it is now for the first time the subject of
an exhibition.
Although it
reveals its painters? knowledge and interest in the artistic traditions
of neighboring cultures-both Christian and Islamic-the illumination remains
unmistakably Armenia. A miniature of the Last Supper, for example, beautifully
exemplifies the rich color treatment characteristic of medieval Armenian
illumination.
Accompanying
the installation is a series of related public programs including lectures,
gallery talks, and concerts. A free, all-day Family festival on Saturday,
October 20, will feature children?s art-making workshops and live music,
dance, and storytelling performances by local Armenian artists.
These programs complement numerous Armenian community events including
Modern Icon: Contemporary Artists Influenced by the Illuminated Manuscripts,
an exhibition at the Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale, California,
September 15 through October 20, 2001.
Coinciding with the Getty exhibition is the publication
of the Armenian Gospels of Gladzor: The Life of Christ Illuminated by Thomas
F. Mathews and Alice Taylor.
New York City?s Pierpont Morgan Library
Presents New Exhibition of Armenian
Illuminated Manuscripts and Books
The Pierpont Morgan Library will present a small exhibition, ?Armenia Illuminated:
Old Treasures and New Acquisitions,? in celebration of the 1,700th anniversary
of the Armenians? conversion to Christianity.
According to tradition, St. Gregory the Illuminator converted
the Armenian king Trdat III and his people in AD 301, thereby making Armenia
the first Christian nation. In the early fifth century the monk Mashtots?
created a unique Armenian alphabet ? still in use today ? in order to translate
the Bible and other religious texts into Armenian.
The importance of the book as a vehicle for the transmission of Armenian
culture and religion cannot be overestimated. The illuminated manuscript
is one of Armenia?s most significant cultural artifacts, revealing both
its history and the strength of its native traditions.
The thirteen items in the exhibition feature both manuscripts
and printed books, ranging in date from the thirteenth to the twentieth
century. All but two come from the Morgan Library?s collection. Highlights
include notable new acquisitions. One of the most exciting among these
is the long lost donor page from the Library?s Marshal Oshin Gospels, a
masterpiece of thirteenth-century Cilician art. The luxurious manuscript
was produced for Oshin, a member of the royal family of the Armenian kingdom
of Cilicia. The donor portrait page depicts Marshal Oshin and his sons,
Konstandin and Het?um, before the Virgin and Child. Removed from the manuscript
long before it came to the Library, the donor page recently became available
and was acquired for the Library?s collection, a rare opportunity for the
reunification of a separated leaf with its parent manuscript.
Other acquisitions include a large fourteenth-century miniature from the
Lake Van region depicting the Nativity. The leaf is an exciting example
of the decorative style rooted in Armenia?s indigenous folk traditions.
Self-trained, the artist worked in a lively, energetic manner that contrasts
with the classically oriented style of the Oshin portrait page.
A large manuscript of the four Gospels, dated 1700 and decorated with a
striking set of repoussè silver and enameled plaques, is another
recent acquisition by the Library. The Library now owns three such manuscripts
embellished with silver plaques produced between 1650 and 1700 by a remarkable
Armenian silversmith?s workshop in the city of Kayseri in the Ottoman Empire.
The most recent acquisition is also the Library?s earliest example of an
Armenian printed Bible. Published in Venice in 1733 by the Mekhitarist
monastic brotherhood, this Bible ?in pristine condition?is highly decorated
with hundreds of engravings, all hand-colored.
The exhibition
will be held in the East Room of the Morgan Library (29 East 36th Street,
New York City) from September 14, 2001 to January 13, 2002 as part of ?Collecting
for the Centuries,? drawn from the permanent collection. The exhibitions
are open Tuesday through Thursday, 10:30 AM to 5 PM; Friday, 10:30 to 8
PM; Saturday, 10:30 AM to 6 PM; Sunday, noon to 6 PM; closed Mondays and
holidays.
Armenian Educational Foundation Celebration Banquet in Honor of Dr. Richard Hovannisian
On Friday evening, November 9, there will be a celebration banquet recognizing Professor Richard Hovannisian?s 40th Year in Armenian Studies and the 40th Anniversary of Armenian Studies and 15th Anniversary of the A.E.F. Chair in Modern Armenian History at UCLA. The event will be held at the Universal Hilton Hotel in Universal City. Reception, 7:00 p.m. Dinner, 8:00 p.m. For reservations, telephone the A.E.F office: 818-242-4154.