AN ARMENIAN ILLUSTRATED PRAYER SCROLL (HMAYIL) Western Asia or Turkey,...
AN ARMENIAN ILLUSTRATED PRAYER SCROLL (HMAYIL)
Western Asia or Turkey, dated 1709 AD
Contains a collection of incantations, prayers and miracle stories from the Four Gospels, with those prayers which are attributable to specific authors preceded by their portraits, most of the prayers end with the name of the owner and sponsor of the prayer roll, the standard formula used is 'for the servant of God, the master (ousta) Yakob and his newly born son Sargis the clerk (tiratsou)'; the colophon at the conclusion of the text is missing but the date of copying is 1709, all texts, which are written by varying hands, are separated by narrow coloured bands and floral designs, the illustrations representing: the Nativity (almost unrecognisable due to damage), the Crucifixion; the Lamb of God; the Baptism of Christ by Saint John the Baptist; the three Apostles: Saint Peter, Saint Stephen and Saint James; Saint Matthew the Evangelist; Saint John the Avangelist; Saint Gregory of Narek; Archangel Michael; Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian Church; Saint Gregory the Illuminator; Saint Hirpsime; Saint Cyprian; Saint Ezras; the Virgin Mary; Saint Gregory the Theologian; the scroll is kept in a purpose built red velvet pouch with embroidered patterns, on one side of the pouch the date 1890 and letter E is inscribed, standing for 'Eoutiwn the supreme being'.
976cm x 9cm unrolled, inside case 11cm x 10.5cm diameter
Hmayils are Armenian apotropaic prayer scrolls, produced from the fifteenth century, combining biblical texts, prayers, invocations and protective formulas intended to safeguard their owners from illness, misfortune, and demonic forces. Written in scroll format—believed to enhance their protective efficacy—they are often richly illuminated and illustrated with images of Christ, saints and other sacred figures. The largest surviving collections are preserved at the Matenadaran in Yerevan, the Holy Saviour Monastery of New Julfa, and other major manuscript repositories.
Literature:
Haroutyunyan S., Hay Hmayakan Ev Zhoghovrdakan Achtokner (Armenian Incantations and Folk Prayer),Yerevan, 2006.
Matthew J. Sarkisian, An Early-Eighteenth-Century Hmayil (Armenian Prayer Scroll): Introduction, Facsimile, Transcription and Annotated Translation, New York, Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center, 2022.
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AN ARMENIAN ILLUSTRATED PRAYER SCROLL (HMAYIL)
Western Asia or Turkey, dated 1709 AD
Contains a collection of incantations, prayers and miracle stories from the Four Gospels, with those prayers which are attributable to specific authors preceded by their portraits, most of the prayers end with the name of the owner and sponsor of the prayer roll, the standard formula used is 'for the servant of God, the master (ousta) Yakob and his newly born son Sargis the clerk (tiratsou)'; the colophon at the conclusion of the text is missing but the date of copying is 1709, all texts, which are written by varying hands, are separated by narrow coloured bands and floral designs, the illustrations representing: the Nativity (almost unrecognisable due to damage), the Crucifixion; the Lamb of God; the Baptism of Christ by Saint John the Baptist; the three Apostles: Saint Peter, Saint Stephen and Saint James; Saint Matthew the Evangelist; Saint John the Avangelist; Saint Gregory of Narek; Archangel Michael; Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian Church; Saint Gregory the Illuminator; Saint Hirpsime; Saint Cyprian; Saint Ezras; the Virgin Mary; Saint Gregory the Theologian; the scroll is kept in a purpose built red velvet pouch with embroidered patterns, on one side of the pouch the date 1890 and letter E is inscribed, standing for 'Eoutiwn the supreme being'.
976cm x 9cm unrolled, inside case 11cm x 10.5cm diameter
Hmayils are Armenian apotropaic prayer scrolls, produced from the fifteenth century, combining biblical texts, prayers, invocations and protective formulas intended to safeguard their owners from illness, misfortune, and demonic forces. Written in scroll format—believed to enhance their protective efficacy—they are often richly illuminated and illustrated with images of Christ, saints and other sacred figures. The largest surviving collections are preserved at the Matenadaran in Yerevan, the Holy Saviour Monastery of New Julfa, and other major manuscript repositories.
Literature:
Haroutyunyan S., Hay Hmayakan Ev Zhoghovrdakan Achtokner (Armenian Incantations and Folk Prayer),Yerevan, 2006.
Matthew J. Sarkisian, An Early-Eighteenth-Century Hmayil (Armenian Prayer Scroll): Introduction, Facsimile, Transcription and Annotated Translation, New York, Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center, 2022.
Estimate
Time, Location
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