ABSTRACT AN INTERPRETATION OF TEXTILE WEALTH IN THE ELEVENTH-CENTURY ARMENIAN MINIATURE FAMILY PORTRAIT OF KING GAGIK-ABAS OF KARS The eleventh-century miniature family portrait of Christian King Gagik- Abas is the only known Armenian painting of a Bagratuni dynastic family. Established interpretation of the image suggests that indicators of rank and status are displayed within the iconography and mannerisms of the figures. My analysis focuses on the profusion of sumptuous textiles and the intriguing compositional placement of the female figures in the picture. I interpret these pictorial elements as allusions to dowry wealth and matrilineal inheritance. My thesis suggests that the composition of the image and the opulence of the represented textiles convey dynastic affluence in an effort to support the central figure, the young daughter, within the socio-political context of medieval life in the region. As the only heir of the last Bagratuni king in Greater Armenia, Princess Marem was to inherit the dynastic lineage from her father. Their kingdom was threatened by Seljuk invasions and Byzantine land annexation policies. The image was created during this tumultuous period in the history of the Bagratunis. In such a situation, I suggest that the miniature painting reveals the family’s response to the hostile situation of regional politics for Armenian nobles in their homeland. Within the historical context of the image, marital alliances between Armenian nobles were not uncommon and intermarriages existed between Armenian and non-Armenian dynastic families. Showing dynastic lineage and textile wealth in the image was a plausible way to secure a future for Marem through marital arrangements. Hazel Antaramian Hofman December 2011 AN INTERPRETATION OF TEXTILE WEALTH IN THE ELEVENTH-CENTURY ARMENIAN MINIATURE FAMILY PORTRAIT OF KING GAGIK-ABAS OF KARS by Hazel Antaramian Hofman A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Art in the College of Arts and Humanities California State University, Fresno December 2011 © 2011 Hazel Antaramian Hofman APPROVED For the Department of Art and Design: We, the undersigned, certify that the thesis of the following student meets the required standards of scholarship, format, and style of the university and the student's graduate degree program for the awarding of the master's degree. Hazel Antaramian Hofman Thesis Author Keith Jordan (Chair) Art and Design Gina Strumwasser Art and Design Dickran Kouymjian Professor Emeritus, Armenian Studies For the University Graduate Committee: Dean, Division of Graduate Studies AUTHORIZATION FOR REPRODUCTION OF MASTER’S THESIS X I grant permission for the reproduction of this thesis in part or in its entirety without further authorization from me, on the condition that the person or agency requesting reproduction absorbs the cost and provides proper acknowledgment of authorship. Permission to reproduce this thesis in part or in its entirety must be obtained from me. Signature of thesis author: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am fortunate to have had three of the finest professors one could hope for to serve on my thesis committee: Professors Keith Jordan, Dickran Kouymjian, and Gina Strumwasser. They are exemplary scholars who were extremely generous with their time and expertise. All three provided me with unwavering support and guidance in the preparation of this thesis. I could not be more fortunate to have Dr. Keith Jordan serve as my thesis chair. He is a gifted professor and a compassionate human being. He was overly accommodating and patient with my multiple drafts. With his wonderful sense of humor, month after month, he discussed my writing, edited my work, and provided me with his invaluable comments. I’m not sure how much he tolerated reading my drafts, but I am only grateful that he did so without complaint. He is a true mentor! I am honored to have had Dr. Dickran Kouymjian serve as my reader. The first time that I saw the royal portrait miniature was in Professor Dickran Kouymjian’s “Arts of Armenia,” course in the fall of 2000. It is an image that has stayed with me for eleven years. Even when I was not yet pursuing a degree in art, the miniature painting had a profound effect on me. In Dr. Kouymjian’s classes, I became enthralled with the study of Armenian art. This was when I realized that, within the realm of art history, medieval Armenian art was the study area that made me feel at “home.” Having Professor Kouymjian serve on my thesis committee added to the delight of working with him once again. Dr. Kouymjian kindly suggested that I use the original slide photograph from which I reproduced the image found in this text. The slide photograph was taken by Ara Güler. The actual miniature is located at the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem. vi The slide image of the miniature is part of an impressive collection of 300 color slides of Armenian miniatures that Dr. Kouymjian has made accessible to the public via the Armenian Studies Program website. I am so pleased to have had the remarkable Dr. Gina Strumwasser serve as a reader on my committee. She is a true inspiration to me. She is a wonderfully fun, intellectually engaging and energetic scholar. I am also grateful to Dr. Jennifer Borland, who visited Fresno State for two semesters during Professor Strumwasser’s sabbatical. It was in Professor Borland’s fall 2006 class, “Women and Medieval Art and Culture,” where the cultural study of noble European women had me thinking about the Armenian royal portrait once again. Analyzing the royal portrait miniature from the years 2006 to 2011 has been a long and exhilarating process, resulting in two publications and ten presentations at various national conferences prior to this culmination. I also want to thank Dr. Robert Hewsen for the use of his maps, Varoujan Der Simonian for his Armenian translations, and Chuck Radke for making the technical aspects of my culminating experience relatively painless. My family has been very supportive throughout my seemingly endless student life. I would be terribly remiss if I did not thank my dear family for their love, patience, and understanding: my father and mother, Paul and Virginia Antaramian (who also tirelessly helped me translate works from French and Armenian into English); my husband, Robert Hofman; my sister, Jacqueline Antaramian, and my two wonderful boys, Adam and Andre, to whom I dedicate this work. I am so grateful to be their mother. I extend my sincere thanks to so many others, too many to mention here, who in their own way encouraged me and gave me the strength to continue—to any road that holds us right. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................ viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1 Background ....................................................................................................... 3 Thesis Research and Methodology ................................................................. 24 CHAPTER 2: VISUAL ANALYSIS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY PORTRAIT MINIATURE OF KING GAGIK-ABAS OF KARS AND COMPARATIVE PORTRAITURE ........................................................... 27 Iconography, Stylistic Character and Composition ........................................ 27 CHAPTER 3: TEXTILE DECORATION AND MOTIF IN THE ROYAL FAMILY MINIATURE .............................................................................. 73 Interior Textiles ............................................................................................... 76 Costume Motif and Design ............................................................................. 79 CHAPTER 4: THE MINIATURE PORTRAIT IN HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXT ................................................................................... 90 Brief Geographical and Historical Background .............................................. 91 Socio-Political and Economic Setting ........................................................... 118 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ............................................................................. 144 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................ 151 APPENDIX .......................................................................................................... 161 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Chronology of historical events: the Armenian political landscape from the fourth century up to the ninth century. ...................................... 94 Table 2. Major historical information on King Gagik-Abas and his family. ....... 119 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Portrait of King Gagik-Abas, Queen Goranduxt, and Princess Marem. .................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2: Manuel II and his family. ....................................................................... 11 Figure 3: Barbarini Psalter, gr. 372, f. 5r. ............................................................ 11 Figure 4: Portrait of Prince Lewon as a young boy. .............................................. 12 Figure 5: Prince Lewon and his wife Keran. ......................................................... 13 Figure 6: “The Sermon on the Mount” (fol. 21v) ms J2556. ................................ 16 Figure 7: Temptation of Christ, fol. 244, from eleventh century ms J2556. ......... 16 Figure 8: “Christ Appearing