Grigor Mlitchetsi

Grigor Mlichetsi
Grigor Mlichetsi
Born	unknown
Died	1215; Skevra, Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
Nationality	Armenian
Occupation(s)	Miniaturist and scribe
Notable work	The Book of Sadness, The Gospel of Skevra
Style	Miniature and Calligraphy

Grigor Mlichetsi (Skevratsi) (birth date unknown,^[1]^[2]-1215,^[1]^[2] Skevra, Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia) was an Armenian miniaturist and penman of the 12th-13th centuries, representative of the Skevra pen house of the Cilician school of miniatures.

Biography

Grigor Mlichetsi also worked in the library of Mlichy and Rumkale. Kostandin and Vardan are known among his senior artist friends. The three of them illustrated the "Gospel of Tigranakert" in 1173 (the location of the manuscript is unknown). He illustrated five manuscripts in the years 1173–1215.

He died in old age, leaving the illustration of the last Gospel (1215, New Julfa, Amenprakich Monastery, hand: JSP 546) unfinished.

The Book of Lamentations

Grigor Mlichetsi earned acclaim as a distinguished and lauded artist during his era. The historical and artistic significance of his work is notably exemplified in the meticulous craftsmanship evident in the altar ornaments, capital letters, textured border embellishments, and the four portraits of Narekatsi within Grigor Narekatsi's parchment manuscript titled "The Tragedy of Matean" (Matenadaran, manuscript No. 1568). This particular masterpiece, commissioned by Nerses of Lambrona in 1173, stands as a testament to Mlichetsi's skill, capturing the essence of the artistic and cultural milieu of its time. In this parchment book, the altar decorations, nominal half altars and headdresses are made with great elegance and taste. The capital letters, fashioned as ornamental motifs reminiscent of cross stones, stand out for their noteworthy craftsmanship. The celebrated border decorations, displaying mastery in execution, further enhance the manuscript's artistic appeal. The manuscript is particularly valuable among Grigor Narekatsi's applicants. The artist wanted to create several aspects of Narekatsi with four images: a philosopher, a guard (prayer), a hermit, emphasizing his poetic image.

The Gospel of Skevra

"Gospel of Skevra" (1197, "Gospel of Lviv", until 1830 in Lviv) written by and illustrated by Grigor Mlichetsu, German Byzantine scholar G. Prinzig discovered it in 1993 in the archbishopric of the Polish city of Gniezno (the color copy is in the National Library of Armenia). In 1997, it was exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum (New York).

The art of Grigor Mlichetsi became the XIII century. From the foundations of the development of Cilician miniature.

References

^ ^a ^b V. Hambardzumyan, K. Khudaverdyan (1977). Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia, volume 3 (in Armenian). Yerevan: Armenian Encyclopedia Publishing House. p. 218.
^ ^a ^b Ayvazyan, Hovhannes (2005). who is Who, volume 1 (in Armenian). Yerevan: Armenian Encyclopedia Publishing House. p. 298.

Sources

Azaryan L., Cilician miniatures of the XII-XIII centuries, E., 1964. A.

[:0-1] V. Hambardzumyan, K. Khudaverdyan (1977). Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia, volume 3 (in Armenian). Yerevan: Armenian Encyclopedia Publishing House. p. 218.

[:1-2] Ayvazyan, Hovhannes (2005). who is Who, volume 1 (in Armenian). Yerevan: Armenian Encyclopedia Publishing House. p. 298.

[1]

[2]