Le storie dei Vangeli apocrifi nelle miniature dei manoscritti armeni del Vaspurakan (secc. XIII-XVI). Alcuni case studies Alcuni case studies

Abstract

The Armenian manuscripts of the Vaspurakan School represent an illuminated heritage of inestimable value, because of the originality of the iconographies and the unique style with which they are represented. In fact the peculiarity of being very often inspired by the apocryphal Gospels is a characterizing aspect of this school of miniature, which reproduces, wholly or partially, subjects derived from the rich repertoire of apocryphal stories about the life of Christ. In this paper I will analyse a series of case studies or miniatures whose iconography was greatly influenced by this type of text. In particular, the study focuses on the relationship between the images and the sources taken as a reference used by the artists to create the miniatures. At the same time, I would highlight the iconographic analysis of some specific figurative details and their correct interpretation, taking into account the influences derived from the Armenian cultural traditions of the Vaspurakan region.