SARGIS MOKATSI KNOWN AS MAZMAN, 1602 - Lot 2

SARGIS MOKATSI KNOWN AS MAZMAN, 1602 Three leaves on paper belonging to the same gospel book. The first two are full-page illuminations (the Incredulity of Saint Thomas and the Ascension of Christ) and the third is the text of the Gospel according to Saint John relating to the Wedding at Cana (2:12- 3:2). 20.5 x 27.7 cm. These three unpublished leaves complete a Gospel now in the collection of the Matenadaran in Yerevan (Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, ms. 11200), which was illuminated by Sargis Mokatsi in 1602 on commission from the four khojas (merchants) Avetis, Meliq, Shiraq and Amir. Sargis (Sarkis) Mokatsi, known as Mazman, a native of Mok's, a province south of Lake Van and bordering the province of Khizan, was one of the most eminent Armenian artists of the 16th century. He died in 1602. This Gospel is therefore the last one he illustrated, and is considered his masterpiece. The part of the Gospel currently in the Matenadaran is known as the "President's Gospel", as it was donated to the Institute by the President of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Serge Sarkissian, in 2011 thanks to the generosity of Mr. Gabriel Chenberjian. The fact that our three leaves complete the President's Gospel was only discovered very recently by Mrs Emma Chookaszian, who was allowed to examine it in person at the Matenadaran. The size of the pages, the number of lines of text and the fact that the President's Gospel lacks the two miniatures (the Incredulity and the Ascension) and the text of the Wedding at Cana leave no doubt on this point. Bibliography: - Ցուցակ հայերէն ձեռագրաց Վասպուրականի, Կազմեց՝ Երուանդ Լալայեան; Թիֆլիս 1915 (Catalogue des manuscrits arméniens du Vaspourakan, by Yervand Lalayan, Tbilisi, 1915). - Ն. Արքեպս. Ծովական, Հայ նկարողներ ԺԱ-ԺԷ դարերու, Սիոն։ Ամսագիր ազգային, բանասիրական, գրագիտական եւ քաղաքական (N. Arch. Tsovakan, "Peintres arméniens des XIe-XVIIe siècles", Sion: Revue nationale, philologique, littéraire et politique), 1988, no. 1-3, pp. 36-39. - Հայերեն ձեռագրերի ԺԷ դարի հիշատակարաններ (1601-1620 թթ.), Հատոր Ա (Colophons des manuscrits arméniens du XVIIe siècle (1601-1620), 1974, Erevan, vol. 1, p. 68. - Sirarpie Der Nersessian, The Chester Beatty Library: a catalog of the Armenian manuscripts, with an introduction on the history of Armenian art, vol. I-II, Dublin, 1958.