Four miniatures of the life of Christ from a gospel book of 1311 (Presentation, Baptism, Transfiguration, Entry into Jerusalem)

T'oros the Deacon

1311 · Ink and pigments on oriental paper · Medieval Art

The intellectual and artistic center of Greater Armenia in the fourteenth century was the Monastery of Gladzor where artists produced richly illuminated manuscripts that reflected the site’s contacts with the Catholic West, often through the Dominican Order sent to the region, and China through the Mongols who ruled across Asia at the time. Wealthy Armenian families who controlled trade routes for the Mongols were patrons of Gladzor. The handsome gold backgrounds of these four miniatures reflect their affluence. The miniatures depict significant events in Life of Christ – His Presentation in the Temple, His Baptism, His Transfiguration, and his Entry in Jerusalem. They are four of eighteen narrative scenes related to the Life of Christ that were bound in the front of a manuscript written by the priest Tser for his own use and illustrated by T’oros the Deacon, an artist who chose to use blue paints for the faces and bodies of the major figures, perhaps a response to the use of blue for deities further east.

Artist

T'oros the Deacon

Date

1311

Medium

Ink and pigments on oriental paper

Culture

Armenian

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Purchase, Giorgi Family Foundation Gift, 2020