Opening to Luke from a Gospel book

Martiros Khizants'i · 1596

Bifolio from an illuminated Gospel book written in Armenian on paper in bolorgir and erkat'agir script, by the scribe and artist Martiros of Khizan in 1596 at Constantinople (Istanbul). A portrait of St Luke faces the opening page of his gospel. Luke sits before an open book, his writing tools on the desk near his feet, while a ciborium-like construction rises above the fish-shaped lectern. An ornamental heading fills the top half of the opening page of the text, while an interlacing palmette runs the length of the right-hand margin. Birds are painted in the upper margin of both pages. The first letter of the gospel is formed by the evangelist's symbol (an ox), while the remainder of the first line is formed by floral letters, followed in alternating lines of gold and blue script. The text continues on the verso of the right-hand page.