Sirarpie Der Nersessian (1896-1989). Pioneer of Armenian Art History

Dickran Kouymjian 489
I have dwelt at some length on the miniatures of the two Xyleaves, because their interest
transcends the limits of Cilician art, bringing, as they do, a notable contribution
toward the study of the Stavronikita type of evangelist portraits. Among the East
Christians, the Armenians appear to have been the only ones interested in these types;
no corresponding examples are known in Syriac or Coptic Gospels, nor, strangely
enough, in Georgian manuscripts where the illustrations are remarkably close to the
Byzantine models. . . . Insofar as the study of Cilician painting is concerned, the miniatures
of the Xyleaves have a somewhat marginal role. They testify to the skill of the
painter who faithfully reproduced the Greek model, but . . . are less interesting than
. . . the Lwów Gospels, which, based also on Greek models, show the translation of
their style into a diVerent idiom. 17
A Wnal example will underline her economy of expression—perhaps modesty is a
better word. In the section devoted to Armenian painting’s most brilliant and famous
artist, T’oros Roslin (active 1256–68)—the longest part of the book devoted to a single
individual, about whom Der Nersessian had written over and again—she underlines
“Roslin’s ability to convey deep emotion without undue emphasis,” which appropriately
deWnes her own personality. She, too, was for understatement, the idea that
less is often more. Her most extravagant claims or praise for Cilician art come in this
chapter. Here is her description of a painting of the descent from the cross: “This
composition, in which Roslin’s hand can be recognized without hesitation, surpasses
in artistic quality the contemporary Byzantine examples.” Or for another scene by
Roslin, she writes, “Christ enthroned between the Virgin and St. John the Baptist—
a Wgure comparable in its noble grandeur to the Wnest medieval examples—is no
longer the severe judge but the compassionate Savior.” And for yet another, “The
compositional design, the delicate modeling of the individual Wgures, and the subtle
color harmonies show Roslin’s work at its best, equaling in artistic quality some of
the Wnest Byzantine miniatures.” 18
Miniature Painting in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia is incontestably her magnum
opus. It is at once a precise and ample study of the period and an encyclopedic
compendium on Armenian art in general and the history of the medieval Armenian
kingdom.
It has been impossible in this context to compare Der Nersessian’s earlier positions
on Armenian art with corrected or augmented ones in her Wnal study, though an
example was given earlier concerning the Tübingen Gospels. The specialized iconographic
or paleographic background necessary to understand each point would have
required much more space. Rather, I have emphasized her methodology. I do not
mean to suggest that others before and contemporary to Der Nersessian did not
uphold the same rigorous standards. But few are the scholars from any period and
in any discipline who are able to combine such diverse personal resources and
bring the beneWt of such erudition so gracefully to the exposition of their research.
Her comments on art are in part so convincing because they are grounded Wrmly on