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Etchmiadzin |
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Woodworking is intimately related to the lifestyle and mores of the Armenian people; it is also intricately tied to many of its crafts. Wood has been a widely utilized raw material; it has been used in the making of lecterns, church doors, picture frames, bookbindings, etc.
In the early medieval period Armenians built wooden churches or used wood in conjunction with other building materials. The best examples of these are the famous wooden columnar capitals of the Arakelotz Church of Sevan. The palatial structures of Dvin and Ani were shaped with artistically engraved wooden sections. Armenian churches and monasteries have had wooden doors decorated with fine artistic shapes (such as the highly crafted doors of the churches of the Arakelotz monastery of Mush, the monastery of Tadev, the Sevan monastery, and of Theodosia) on which not only geometric and floral designs are found, but also complex thematic pictures with symbolic accents.
Lecterns constitute an important segment of the Armenian medieval art of woodworking, a large sample of which has reached us from Ani. These have controlled and austere designs as well as finely shaped inscriptions.
Small closets and patens, of which a considerable number are now lost, were prepared of engraved wood. Often, the wooden artifact was shaped through precious stones, and covered with gold and silver leaflets (for example, the famous Almasd throne prepared in 1659).
The treasures of Etchmiadzin include fine samples of woodcarved artifacts. Although small in number, these have an appreciable artistic value.
The first of these artworks is the Amenaprkich (All Savior) of Havuts Tar which represents Christ's descent from the cross, carved during the 9th and 10th centuries. In the center of this composition is Jesus with cross-adorned halo, long curly hair, and closed eyes. The overall artistic concept as well as the details bring this work closer to Gothic style sculpture. There are miniaturized crucifixion scenes also on holy wafer seals.
Wooden crosses were accepted artifacts in Armenian churches. One sample is preserved in the Etchmiadzin monastery; it was prepared in the thirteenth century. The cross has a fine meshlike engraving and is fastened to a metal handle on which there is an engraving of the crucifixion. The monotony of the wooden segments is enriched with gold and precious gems.
In the treasures of the Etchmiazin monastery two covered thrones attract special attention. One of these was sent as a gift to Catholicos Yeghiazar by the Pope in Rome. The second throne was made in 1712, probably in the city of Akn, and was donated to Etchmiadzin together with two doors covered with mother of pearl.
The artworks presented have great historical and cultural value.MANIA KHAZARYAN
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