The Voskan Bible of Archbishop Astvadzadour Fakhrabadtsi in the Morgan Library & Museum (PML 199389)

An Inscribed New Julfa Binding and Armenian Practices of Commemorative Book Patronage and Distribution

Abstract

The present article examines a remarkable copy of the first printed Armenian Bible, commonly known as the Voskan Bible, distinguished by a number of exceptional features that set it apart from other known examples of the edition. In January 2025, we were contacted by Adam Weinberger (New York, USA) and Robert van den Graven of Konstantinopel Rare & Fine Books (Enschede, the Netherland) to prepare an expert assessment of this previously unpublished copy. Shortly thereafter, the volume was acquired by the Pierpont Morgan Library and Museum (New York City), where it is now preserved under the shelfmark PML 199389.

Beyond its importance as a witness to the history of Armenian printing, this particular copy presents a unique combination of provenance marks, ownership inscriptions, and binding features that shed new light on the reception and circulation of the Voskan Bible within Armenian communities of the early modern period.

This study employs a multidisciplinary approach combining codicological, art-historical, and historical analysis. The research is based on the examination of the Morgan Library copy of the Voskan Bible, including its physical structure, binding, inscriptions, seals, annotations, and later additions. Comparative analysis was conducted with related manuscripts and inscribed bindings preserved in the Matenadaran, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the Monastery of the Holy Savior in New Julfa in order to identify the owner, reconstruct the provenance of the volume, and contextualize its binding. Archival, manuscript, and published sources were further consulted to reconstruct the biography of the owner and to examine the broader practices of commemorative book patronage, ownership, and distribution in the Armenian communities of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Through an analysis of its provenance, physical characteristics, and historical significance, this study seeks to highlight the unique qualities of the volume and to situate it within the broader history of Armenian printing, bookbinding, and book culture. By examining the evidence preserved within this copy, the article contributes to our understanding of the transmission, ownership, and continued veneration of the first printed Armenian Bible among Armenian communities of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.