Zeytun Gospel Pages
Object or Group Name
Zeytun Gospel Pages
Case Summary
In 1994, the J. Paul Getty Museum acquired eight illustrated pages of a 13th century illuminated manuscript from Armenia known as the Zeytun Gospel.
The Gospel was authored and illustrated in 1256 by an artist named T'oros Roslin at the scriptorium at Hromklay under commission from Katholikos Constantine I. They represent the earliest signed work of Roslin, a groundbreaking Armenian manuscript illustrator.
The ancient Gospel was stored for hundreds of years in the parish church of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Zeyt'un, Turkey. The Armenian genocide, which started in 1915, led many Armenians to flee Turkey with their most valued possessions, and the gospel was taken to nearby Marash, a haven for Armenian refugees. It changed hands several times over the following years as Armenians fled the region. At some point, the eight cannon tables were separated from the rest of the gospel and ended up in the possession of Melkon Atamian, who immigrated to the United States in 1923.
Melkon's grandnephew Gil Atamian inherited the pages in 1980, and some were displayed in a 1994 exhibition "Treasures of Heaven: Armenian Illuminated Manuscripts," held by the Walters Gallery and Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. Soon after, the Getty Museum purchased them for close to $1 million.
In 2006, the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America learned that the pages were held by the Getty Museum. After negotiations for their return failed, the Church sued the Getty in June 2010 for their return.
After five years of court proceedings and mediation, the two sides reached a settlement in 2015 and the pages were donated to the Getty Museum after they agreed to acknowledge the Church's title to the documents. Today they are displayed at the Getty with a label that states, “gift of The Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, by agreement.”
The rest of the Zeyt'un Gospel is currently preserved at the Mesrob Mashtots Madenadaran, the repository for ancient manuscripts in Yerevan, Armenia.
The Gospel was authored and illustrated in 1256 by an artist named T'oros Roslin at the scriptorium at Hromklay under commission from Katholikos Constantine I. They represent the earliest signed work of Roslin, a groundbreaking Armenian manuscript illustrator.
The ancient Gospel was stored for hundreds of years in the parish church of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Zeyt'un, Turkey. The Armenian genocide, which started in 1915, led many Armenians to flee Turkey with their most valued possessions, and the gospel was taken to nearby Marash, a haven for Armenian refugees. It changed hands several times over the following years as Armenians fled the region. At some point, the eight cannon tables were separated from the rest of the gospel and ended up in the possession of Melkon Atamian, who immigrated to the United States in 1923.
Melkon's grandnephew Gil Atamian inherited the pages in 1980, and some were displayed in a 1994 exhibition "Treasures of Heaven: Armenian Illuminated Manuscripts," held by the Walters Gallery and Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. Soon after, the Getty Museum purchased them for close to $1 million.
In 2006, the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America learned that the pages were held by the Getty Museum. After negotiations for their return failed, the Church sued the Getty in June 2010 for their return.
After five years of court proceedings and mediation, the two sides reached a settlement in 2015 and the pages were donated to the Getty Museum after they agreed to acknowledge the Church's title to the documents. Today they are displayed at the Getty with a label that states, “gift of The Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, by agreement.”
The rest of the Zeyt'un Gospel is currently preserved at the Mesrob Mashtots Madenadaran, the repository for ancient manuscripts in Yerevan, Armenia.
Number of Objects
8
Object Type
Information Artifact – books, seals, plaques, scrolls
Culture
Armenian Kingdom of Celicia
Museum Name
J. Paul Getty Museum
Walters Gallery (Baltimore)
Pierpont Morgan Library (New York)
Museum Accession Number
94.MB.71
Receiving Country
Armenia
Sources
Getty Announces Agreement in Armenian Art Restitution Case
https://www.getty.edu/news/getty-announces-agreement-armenian-art-restitution-case/
Canon tables from the Zeyt'un Gospels. 1256. T'oros Roslin (Armenian, active 1256 - 1268)
https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103SBS#full-artwork-details
Canon Tables – Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America and J. Paul Getty Museum
https://plone.unige.ch/art-adr/cases-affaires/canon-tables-2013-western-prelacy-of-the-armenian-apostolic-church-of-america-and-j-paul-getty-museum
"The Missing Pages: The Modern Life of a Medieval Manuscript from Genocide to Justice" Heghnar Zeitlian Watenpaugh, 2019.
Documents
MOLA Contributor(s)
Jason Felch
Peer Reviewed By
Damien Huffer
Citation
“Zeytun Gospel Pages,” Museum of Looted Antiquities, accessed October 9, 2024, https://mola.omeka.net/items/show/1257.