Walters Ms. W.546, Gospels of Georg Alexief Prefatory materials Letter of Eusebius to Carpianus Canon tables Gospels Gospel Book artist Hohannes Principal cataloger Der Nersessian, Sirarpie Principal cataloger Landau, Amy Principal cataloger van Lint, Theo M Cataloger Herbert, Lynley Cataloger Noel, William Editor Herbert, Lynley Copy editor Dibble, Charles Contributor Bockrath, Diane Contributor Emery, Doug Contributor Noel, William Contributor Tabritha, Ariel Contributor Toth, Michael B. Conservator Owen, Linda Conservator Quandt, Abigail The Walters Art Museum

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 This manuscript was created in the seventeenth century, perhaps in Constantinople, based on the style of its illumination. The Gospel cycle that precedes the text contains slightly more miniatures than is traditional; especially notable are the two—representing the feeding of the five thousand and the cleansing of the Temple—which come out of sequence at the end of the cycle. The miniatures in this manuscript, like many at this time, reflect the mingling of traditional Cilician and Western influences. Though the manuscript does not include a colophon, the signature of the painter, Hohannes, is visible on the bottom of the canon tables on fols. 29v-30r. This manuscript appears to have been well traveled: at some point, very small inscriptions in Greek were added to most of the miniatures; in 1883, it belonged to Georg Alexief of Moscow, according to a note in Russian on fol. 1r. Baltimore The Walters Art Museum W.546 The primary language in this manuscript is Armenian. The secondary languages of this manuscript are Greek, Modern (1453-), Russian. 1r - 273v Gospel Book Incomplete; Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:53-8:11 are not included; on the first page of each Gospel a versified quatrain written in the lower margin gives the explanation of the symbol used for each Evangelist (fols. 37r, 108r, 149r, 219r) 4v - 23r Prefatory materials 25v - 26r Letter of Eusebius to Carpianus 27v - 34r Canon tables 36v - 269v Gospels Fols. 36v-106r: Gospel of Matthew; fols. 107v-147v: Gospel of Mark; fols. 148v-217r: Gospel of Luke; fols. 218v-269v: Gospel of John

Parchment of medium weight, well finished on both sides. The top margins have been trimmed; the fore-edge and tail are reddened. Textile fragments were removed from the manuscript and stored separately in its box. Likely, they were curtains that once hung over the prefatory illuminations. They have not been digitized due to handling concerns.

 Foliation: 27315.0 10.3 10.2 6.8

1(2), 2-3(8), 4(6), 5(10), 6-24(12), 25(9), 26(2) Quires are numbered from 1 to 20 by letters of the Armenian alphabet written in the lower margin on the first and last folios, beginning with fol. 46v; the number of the first quire is written only at the end (fol. 46v), that of the last quire only at the beginning (fol. 263r) None Quires begin on fols. 1, 3, 11, 19, 25, 35, 47, 59, 71, 83, 95, 107, 119, 131, 143, 155, 167, 179, 191, 203, 215, 227, 239, 251, 263, 272

 Hard-point ruling; layout does not apply to the prefatory materials (fols. 4v-23r), the Letter of Eusebius to Carpianus (fols. 25v-26r), or the canon tables (fols. 27v-34r) Twenty full-page miniatures Headbands and frames with floral designs, birds, and trees Frames illuminated with ornaments and interlace, flanked by trees, birds, animals, and monkey drolleries Evangelist portraits fols. 36v, 107v, 148v, 218v; the opening page of each Gospel has a large headpiece with floral ornaments, birds, and sirens, accompanied by an arabesque; the initial of each opening line represents the symbol of the Evangelist: an angel for Matthew, a lion for Mark, an ox for Luke, and an eagle for John; the first line of Matthew is written in bird letters and ornate capitals, followed by three lines in gold erkat'agir; the first line of Mark is in ornate capitals; the second in gold, and the third and fourth in blue erkat'agir; the first line of Luke is formed by birds and ornate capitals; the remaining three lines are written in erkat'agir in gold, blue, and red ink respectively; the opening line of John is in ornate capitals; the following three lines in erkat'agir in gold, blue, and red colors; the last line in red bolorgir Twenty full-page illuminations at the beginning of the manuscript, fols. 4v-23r, preceding the Letter of Eusebius and the canon tables; full-page Evangelist portraits facing headpieces with Evangelist symbol opening the text; Letter of Eusebius and Canon Tables are framed by architectural decoration in gold, red, pink, blue, and green pigment with floral and zoomorphic motifs; marginal ornaments throughout the manuscripts consist of floral designs, palmettes, medallions, birds, trees, temples, and crosses; they usually indicate the beginning of the Gospel lessons; there are two Canon Tables on fols. 1v and 2r drawn in outline only, without the concordance numbers filled in, which probably did not belong to the original manuscript Annunciation; Joseph's dream Full-page miniature

Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee. Thou shall bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus.

 Nativity; Annunciation to the shepherds; Magi; Bathing of the Christ Child Full-page miniature

Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour which is the anointed Lord.

 Flight into Egypt Full-page miniature

And Joseph took Mary and fled into Egypt, as the angel had told him

 Massacre of the Innocents Full-page miniature

Herod sent forth and slew the children that were in Bethlehem

 Presentation in the Temple Full-page miniature

It is the temple, on the fortieth day.

 The Baptism Full-page miniature

And Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John.

 The Transfiguration Full-page miniature

Let us make three tabernacles, one for the Lord, one for Moses, and one for Elias.

 The Raising of Lazarus Full-page miniature

Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead rising et cetera.

 Entry into Jerusalem Full-page miniature

And Jesus sat upon the ass and the colt (sic) and entered the holy city of Jerusalem.

 Washing of the feet Full-page miniature

And he poured water into a basin and washed the feet of the disciples.

 The Betrayal Full-page miniature

Judas said, "Hail Master," and kissed him, and then the soldiers laid hands upon him and seized him.

 Flagellation; Carrying of the Cross Full-page miniature

And having tied Jesus to a column they scourge him hard.

 Crucifixion Full-page miniature

He is the wood of life for those who seek refuge in him.

 Entombment Full-page miniature

And they put Jesus in a tomb which was hewn out of a rock.

 Harrowing of Hell Full-page miniature

He destroyed Hell and saved the souls.

 Ascension Full-page miniature

Our Lord ascended in glory to the Father in Heaven.

 Pentecost Full-page miniature Last Judgment Full-page miniature

It is the fearful day of the Judgment and the Second Coming of Christ.

 Feeding of the five thousand Full-page miniature

And they brought before Jesus the five loaves and the two fishes, and he distributed them to the five thousand.

 Cleansing of the Temple Full-page miniature Letter of Eusebius to Carpianus Letter of Eusebius to Carpianus Full-page miniature Letter of Eusebius to Carpianus Letter of Eusebius to Carpianus Full-page miniature Canon table Eusebian Canon I Full-page miniature Canon table Eusebian Canon II Full-page miniature Canon table Eusebian Canons II and III Full-page miniature

First part of the inscription, which continues on fol. 30r, reads, "Remember in the Lord Hohannes vardapet, the painter of the Gospel."

 Canon table Eusebian Canons IV and V Full-page miniature

Last part of the inscription, which begins on fol. 29v, reads, "Remember in the Lord Hohannes vardapet, the painter of the Gospel."

 Canon table Eusebian Canons VI and VII Full-page miniature Canon table Eusebian Canons VIII and IX Full-page miniature Canon table Eusebian Canon X Full-page miniature Canon Table Eusebian Canon X Full-page miniature Portrait of the Evangelist Matthew Matthew's Gospel Full-page miniature Opening of the Gospel of Matthew Matthew's Gospel Decorated headpiece and historiated initial Portrait of the Evangelist Mark Mark's Gospel Full-page miniature Opening of the Gospel of Mark Mark's Gospel Decorated headpiece and historiated initial Portrait of the Evangelist Luke Luke's Gospel Full-page miniature Opening of the Gospel of Luke Luke's Gospel Decorated headpiece and historiated initial Portrait of the Evangelist John John's Gospel Full-page miniature Opening of the Gospel of John John's Gospel Decorated headpiece and historiated initial

Dark brown leather over wooden boards, with a flap. The upper cover is stamped in gold with three-petal floral tools arranged in a lozenge around the center and placed in the corners of the main panel, which is also decorated by a rather random placement of small rosettes and seed-shaped tools. A border of interlace tools in blinds frame the cover. The lower corner has an even more random decoration of the same tools, original in gold but now much worn, and a frame of small quire interlace tools in blind. The flap is blind tooled with the seeds and rosettes, and diagonal lines. The spine is raised at the head and tail (repaired). The headbands are embroidered in tan and olive silk. There are traces of former attachments on the cover. The cover boards are lined with blue silk damask.

 17th century CE Constantinople (?) Georg Alexief of Moscow, March 30, 1883 (see notice in Russian, fol. 1r) Walters Art Museum, 1931, by Henry Walters' bequest Relevant Works Thanks are expressed to Professor Bernard Coulie (Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve) for kindly making available his bibliography on the Armenian manuscripts kept in the Walters Art Museum. De Ricci, S. and W.J. Wilson. Census of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the United States and Canada. New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1935, p. 762, no. 30. Der Nersessian, Sirarpie. Armenian Manuscripts in the Walters Art Gallery. Baltimore: The Trustees, 1973, pp. 69-75, no. IX, pl. G, figs. 389-426. Sanjian, Avedis K. A Catalogue of Medieval Armenian Manuscripts in the United States. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976, pp. 323-326. Mathews, Thomas F., and Roger S. Wieck, eds. Treasures in Heaven: Armenian illuminated manuscripts. New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, 1994, pp. 154-155, no. 13, fig. 76. Art Medicine Museum Poetry Script Muhammad, the Prophet Kashmiri Horses Walters Art Museum Document Astrology Devotion History Legal Literature -- Poetry Literature -- Prose Liturgy Philosophy Science Science -- Medicine Scripture Sufism Theology Mineralogy Logic Geography Geomancy Cosmology Cartography Fortune-telling Koran Qur`an Firman Palimpsest Prayer Bible Gospels Psalter Missal Lectionary Book of Hours Antiphonary Homilary Processional Horologion Breviary Hymnal Chronicle Maghreb Sub-Saharan (West) Africa Turkey Afghanistan Central Asia Egypt England India Iran Iraq Pakistan Germany France Austria Netherlands Ethiopia Armenia Flanders Greece Mamluk Mughal Ottoman Ottonian Armenian Byzantine Abbasid Qajar Rajput Christian Arabic Austrian Dutch Egyptian Fatimid German Indian Islamic Persian Safavid Timurid Turkish Umayyad English French Flemish Ethiopian Carolingian Calligraphy Colophon Headpiece Illumination Illustration Medallion Miniature Ornament Painting Early Abbasid script Ragini Romanesque Gothic Watermark Grotesques Historiated initial Inhabited initial White-vine lettering Textura Batarda Humanistic Uncial Accordion book Album Book Codex Manuscript Heraldry Saint's Life Drawing Grisaille Binding New Abbasid style Musical notation Russia Romania Charter Russian Genealogy Mass book Prayer book Gospel Lectionary Psalter-Hours Treatise Grammar Gloss Pontifical Private devotional text Gradual Protective scroll Scroll 10th century 11th century 12th century 13th century 14th century 15th century 16th century 17th century 18th century 19th century 20th century 8th century 9th century Block book Caroline minuscule Central Arab lands (Near East) Chart English secretary hand Kufic Gothic book hand Original binding Treasure binding Gospel Book Spanish Spain Italian Italy Coptic Scrapbook American United States Maryland Historical Society Friendship book Friendship Biography Liturgical Devotional Scriptural Theological Legal Historical Scientific Scientific -- Medical Literary -- Prose Literary -- Poetry Philosophical Astrological Sufi English Book Christian Codex Illumination Miniature Walters Art Museum Gospels Armenian Binding Manuscript Armenia 17th century Devotion Scripture Original binding