Leaf from Gospels

Description This Gospel book was copied by Mik'ayel, one of the foremost scribes of his time, and donated to the church of St. Stephen in memory of a prince, Khan Sultan. The text is written on paper, a medium that was becoming more common during this period, in a script known as bolorgir (Armenian minuscule). A portrait of St. Matthew introduces the text of his Gospel. A winged man, Matthew's symbol, appears before the Evangelist as if to inspire his writing.

Provenance Written by the scribe Mik'ayel, 1115 (=A.D. 1666) [see colophon fol. 126r]; Church of St. Stephen, Tokat, Armenia [on deposit as a memorial for Khan Sult'an, his father T'at'os, his mother Ghimat', his brother T'oros, and his sons Sahak' and Abraham (see notice on fol. 254r)]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1926 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters