The Armenian Gospels of Gladzor: The Life of Christ Illuminated (Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum)

This masterpiece of Armenian illumination was created in the fourteenth century by monks at the theological school of Gladzor, who copied its text and painted its elaborate cycle of miniatures. Owned at various times by merchants and princes, the Gladzor Gospels is now in the special collections library at the University of California at Los Angeles. This beautiful, informative volume features color reproductions of most of the manuscript's intricate miniatures. The author discusses the production of manuscripts in the Middle Ages, then focuses on the Gladzor Gospels, examining the historical and social contexts at the time of its creation, the theological school of Gladzor, and the themes depicted in the manuscript's brilliant illuminations. This book is published to coincide with and exhibitions that celebrates the 1700th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian Church, during which the manuscript will be displayed at the Getty Museum from August 28 through December 3, 2001.