The J. Paul Getty Museum

Canon Table Page

Object Details

Title:

Canon Table Page

Artists/Makers:

T'oros Roslin (Armenian, active 1256 - 1268)

T'oros Roslin (Armenian, active 1256 - 1268)

Culture:

Armenian

Place:

Hromklay, Armenia (Place Created)

Date:

1256

Medium:

Tempera and gold paint on parchment

Object Number:

Ms. 59 (94.MB.71), fol. 6

Dimensions:

Leaf: 26.5 × 19 cm (10 7/16 × 7 1/2 in.)

Credit Line:

Gift of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia

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Object Description

In this canon table from the Zeyt'un Gospels, the illuminator T'oros Roslin enlivened the tightly controlled geometry of the architecture with minutely observed naturalistic details. Abstract leaf forms, zigzags, bunches of grapes, and, in the upper quadrants, disembodied mask-like heads, fill the rigid, geometrically divided attic above the columns. The carefully balanced plants and animals on the edges form a loose frame around the architecture, which is itself symmetrical. The use of similar motifs, like the same roosters and pomegranate trees, on this folio and the facing page unites the double-page spread, providing evidence of Roslin's sensitive planning of his manuscript project.

Exhibitions
Exhibitions
Treasures in Heaven (May 4 to October 23, 1994)
  • Pierpont Morgan Library (New York), May 4 to August 7, 1994
  • Walters Art Gallery (Baltimore), August 28 to October 23, 1994
Manuscript Illumination of the 13th Century (January 21 to April 6, 1997)
  • The J. Paul Getty Museum (Malibu), January 21 to April 6, 1997
Masterpieces of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript illumination (December 16, 1997 to March 22, 1998)
  • The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles), December 16, 1997 to March 22, 1998
Five Hundred Years of Manuscript Illumination (February 11 to June 1, 2003)
  • The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles), February 11 to June 1, 2003
The Gospels in Medieval Manuscript Illumination (October 31, 2006 to January 7, 2007)
  • The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles), October 31, 2006 to January 7, 2007
"In the Beginning was the Word": Medieval Gospel Illumination (August 30 to November 27, 2011)
  • The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles), August 30 to November 27, 2011