Description
Preface by Samvel Grigoryan.
This scholarly monograph is devoted to Bishop John (Hovhannes), half-brother of King Hetum I of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, examining his role as a major historical figure and an influential patron of the arts in the thirteenth century. The book explores the artistic, historical, and theological significance of three richly illuminated Gospel manuscripts commissioned by Bishop John and preserved today in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection (Washington, D.C.), the Bavarian State Library (Munich), and the Matenadaran (Yerevan). Through a detailed analysis of their iconography, stylistic features, and colophons, the study reconstructs the complex processes of their production and patronage. For the first time, the monograph identifies the contributions of several artists—including Vasil Yerkinq, Barsegh, and their collaborators— situating Bishop John’s commissions within the broader artistic milieu of Cilician Armenia, while emphasizing their role in shaping a parallel artistic tradition alongside that of Toros Roslin. Ultimately, the study highlights Bishop Johns unique position as both spiritual leader and royal brother, demonstrating how his patronage left a lasting and distinctive imprint on the development of medieval Armenian manuscript illumination.
