[ARMENIAN LITURGY.] Խորհրդատետր Սրբոյ Պատարագին: Ըստ արարողութեան Հայաստանեայց Եկեղեցւոյ: Տպագրեցեալ ըստ օրինակին տպագրեցելոյ ի Հրոմ [Khorhrdatetr Srboy Pataragin: Est araroghut’ean Hayastaneayts’ ekeghets’woy: Tpagrets’eal est orinakin tpagrets’eloy I Hrom; “Exegesis for the Holy Liturgy. According to the Rite of the Armenian Church. Printed according to the model printed in Rome”]. Venice: Antonio Bortoli. 15 September 1741.
Folio. Contemporary red morocco over wooden boards, elaborately tooled in gilt with floral borders and central lozenge around image of Crucifixion on upper board, and the Virgin and Child on lower board; floral corner-pieces, spine gilt-tooled in compartments with floral tools, block-printed decorated pastedowns (over marbled pastedowns), 6 purple silk fore-edge tabs (2 detached), purple silk page-marker; pp. 28, text in Armenian printed throughout in red and black, with instructions for the deacon and celebrating clergy in red, main text in double columns, title page printed within engraved architectural border, enclosed within larger border of the figures of the Evangelists, the Apostles and the 24 Prophets with their names in Armenian, two engraved full-page illustrations (in pagination, one signed “Zucchi” after Peter Paul Rubens, the other after Maarten de Vos), woodcut initials, head-, and tailpieces; a few minor scuffs to boards, one tiny wormhole to upper board and two to lower, extremities and spine lightly rubbed; pin worm-holes to gutter, two tiny holes to outer margin of C4-ad finem (all far from printed surface), light dust-soiling and marginal dampstaining, first quire coming loose, a few small wax drops, but overall a very good, fresh copy.
Extremely rare Armenian missal according to the rite of the Armenian Catholic Church, published in Venice.
The long tradition of Armenian printing in Venice dates back to 1512, when the first book ever printed in the Armenian language (Urbatagirk, “Friday Book”) was published by the Venice-based Armenian printer Hakob Meghapart. In 1695, Antonio Bortoli obtained from the Venetian authorities an exclusive privilege for all Armenian printing. He retained it until the arrival in Venice of Father Mekhitar of Sebaste (1676-1749), an Armenian scholar and theologian who, in 1701, founded the Mekhitarist Order. The Mekhitarists, an Armenian Catholic monastic congregation devoted to the revival of Armenian culture and learning, have since 1717 been based on the island of San Lazzaro near Venice. One of the great centres of Armenian scholarship and printing in Europe, the island soon became home to a flourishing Mekhitarist press. “In 1788 an agreement between the Mekhitarist fathers and Bortoli’s successor, Francesco Bortoli, reduced the latter to little more than a figurehead” (Zorzi, trans.).
The same engraved title page was used by Bortoli for his 1733 edition of the Bible in Classical Armenian, a revised edition of the 1666 Bible published by Oskan Erewants’i. The binding of our copy of the missal matches the one held at Eton College Library.
We have not been able to locate any copies in the US. Library Hub records only one copy at Eton College (Parikian Collection of early Armenian printing). We can add a copy in Italy (Venice, San Lazzaro).
Voskanyan 465. See Marino Zorzi, “La produzione e la circolazione del libro”, in Storia di Venezia (1997).
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