Armenian Illuminated Manuscripts in the Collection of the Gulbenkian Museum: Notes on Interdisciplinary Research Project

Abstract

This paper reflects general notes on a recently completed doctoral project designed to comprehensively study a group of Armenian illuminated manuscripts housed in the Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. The codices studied were a Bible and three Gospel Books. These manuscripts were studied with an interdisciplinary approach for the first time, implementing methodologies from the History of Art, History and Technology of Artistic Production, and Conservation Science. The study provided insights into the political, cultural, and religious reality of seventeenth-century Armenian diasporic communities where the manuscripts were produced. It provided a perception of art and craftsmanship and shared practices within these communities. The art and materiality of the Armenian manuscripts of the Gulbenkian Museum reflect the practices of tradition and innovation, adopted by scribes and illuminators of the early modern Armenian scriptoria.