Sotheby's auctions off 17th century Armenian Gospel for £69,300December 3, 2020 - 13:28 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Sotheby's auctioned off an early 17th century illuminated Armenian Gospel manuscript for £69,300 (around $93,000) The book with a tooled calf binding was initially estimated to fetch £7,000 - 10,000 by December 1 – the last day of bidding. The 147 x 100mm 197-leaf book is believed to have been created in Amida, an ancient city in Mesopotamia located where modern Diyarbakır (Turkey) now stands. A full-page miniature of an Evangel can be found at the start of each book, with the facing text written in gold with ornithomorphic illuminated letters and an illuminated headpiece. Written in bolorgir (cursive) in double columns with 27 lines, the manuscript contains numerous marginal illuminated vignettes and cartouches. According to the description on the auction house's website, the iconography and decoration is remarkably similar to a manuscript in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, which was written by the scribe Melk'on and illustrated by Hovannes in the scriptorium of Amida in the early seventeenth century. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. Ex-President: Only removal of “defeatist” rulers can save Armenia Former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Pashinyan: We must stop searching for homeland, we have found that homeland Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. |