Description

The Chester Beatty Library in Dublin has a world-famous collection of oriental manuscripts assembled by the late Sir Alfred Chester Beatty during the last century. A catalogue of the Armenian manuscripts was prepared by the eminent historian of Armenian art, Sirarpie Der Nersessian, in the 1950's. The present catalogue presents some manuscripts which Dr. Der Nersessian did not catalogue and those which entered the collection after her catalogue was completed. It was prepared by Michael Stone, Professor of Armenian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Nira Stone, lecturer in Armenian Art at the same university. It deals in considerable detail with each manuscript, its codicology, its structure and its text (M.E. Stone) and a study of its illuminations (Nira Stone). The book contains onomastic and iconographical indexes. It completes the publication of the Armenian manuscripts of the Chester Beatty Library and will eventually be followed by a further volume dedicated to other Armenian holdings, notably old printed books and metal bindings.