Semester:
Offered:
Christina Maranci
This course will explore the manuscript illumination of medieval Armenia, considering not only the illustrated cycles of biblical works but also royal portraiture, magical texts, and a courtly tale. Our discussions will seek to situate Armenia’s manuscript art within a complex frame of cultural interaction that included Byzantium, the Islamic World, East Asia, and Western Europe. We will also explore the relation between text and image, the role of images in contemporary Armenian society, problems of style and artistic personality. In addition, we will become familiar with codicology (the physical character of the book) in both readings and assignments. The class will include firsthand work on Armenian manuscripts in the collections of Harvard University.