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an old book with a picture of a man sitting at a tablean old book with a black and white image on itan open book with a picture of jesus on itan old book with a decorative design on the coveran old book with a picture of a man sitting at a tablean old leather book with a gold design on the cover
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20 - [ARMENIA – BIBLE]. The Book of the Holy Gospel of Our Lord J…
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Estimate €300 - €400
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Description
[ARMENIA – BIBLE]. The Book of the Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus ChristIN CHRIST. [BOOK OF THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST]. Venice, Antonio Bortoli, 8 August 1732. In-12 brown calfskin, covers decorated with gilded fillet and scroll borders, with a central medallion surrounded by foliage and fleurons; the front cover depicts the Crucifixion and the back cover the Virgin and Child, spine with flat raised bands decorated with gilt fillets and small fleurons, traces of clasps, gilt and chiselled edges (contemporary binding); 552 pages [f. A1 is missing; folios A2 (which corresponds to the illustrated title page) and A3 have been glued together]. Upper cap torn off, scuffs and snags to the binding, small areas of leather missing (notably from the central medallion on the front cover, where the face of Christ is missing), fastenings missing, water stains on the book block, more pronounced on the first and last leaves; a tear with a loss of paper in the top left-hand corner of the title page, affecting the engraved border; a gap in the lower part of the last leaf [errata?] with several words missing. An old handwritten inscription at the bottom of the title page and a black-inked stamp at the top of page 13, repeated on page 550, both unidentified. VENETIAN EDITION FROM THE FIRST HALF OF THE 18TH CENTURY OF THE FOUR GOSPELS IN ARMENIAN, published by Antonio Bortoli as part of the publishing activities of Mekhitar of Sebaste, founder of the Mekhitarist Congregation of Saint Lazarus. Printed on laid paper in Armenian type, with wood-engraved headpieces, running titles, banners, footpieces and illuminated initials; title within an engraved architectural frame. The edition includes FOUR PORTRAITS OF THE EVANGELISTS ENGRAVED ON COPPER, placed at the beginning of their respective Gospels: Saint Matthew accompanied by the angel, Saint Mark by the lion, Saint Luke by the ox and Saint John by the eagle. S. Sahag Djemdjemian states that 1,470 copies were printed and notes that this publication served as a preparatory trial run for Mekhitar’s Great Armenian Bible, particularly with regard to the choice of paper, typeface and illustrations. This copy is preserved in an INTERESTING BINDING with gilded religious decoration, featuring GILDED CHISELLED EDGES with repeated motifs of scrolls and dotted lines. ¶ National Library of Armenia, catalogue of ancient Armenian books, entry ‘Աւետարան’, Venice, Antonio Bortoli’s printing house, 1732, 552 pages – DJEMDJEMIAN (Sahag), The Editorial Apostolate of Father Mekhitar [work in Armenian], Venice-Saint-Lazare, 1980, Chapter XI, pp. 141–143, devoted to the 1732 edition of the Gospels.
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About the sale Sale of Antique and Modern Books
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Auction time 11/12/2026 at 2:00 PM
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