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Textile Wealth in Miniature

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  • Textile Wealth in Miniature

    PRESS OFFICE
    Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
    630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
    Contact: Chris Zakian
    Tel: (212) 686-0710
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Web: http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net

    December 6, 2013

    ___________________

    Textile Wealth in Miniature

    By Florence Avakian

    A family portrait is something to treasure, especially if it is centuries
    old. And if the portrait is a rare glimpse into history, the value is
    priceless.

    On Tuesday evening, November 12, the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information
    Center of the Eastern Diocese presented a unique lecture on the family
    portrait of King Gagik-Abas of Kars, by artist and scholar Hazel Antaramian
    Hofman. The speaker was introduced by the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan,
    director of the Zohrab Center and professor of Liturgical Studies at St.
    Nersess Armenian Seminary.

    Hazel Antaramian Hofman began her talk by pointing out that the
    eleventh-century miniature family portrait of King Gagik-Abas is the "only
    known Armenian painting of a Bagratuni dynastic family."

    The image has been interpreted as indicating the rank and status of the
    figures, she said, adding that her analysis emphasizes the "sumptuous
    textiles and the intriguing composition and placement" of the female
    figures-the queen and daughter, who represent "dowry wealth and matrilineal
    inheritance."

    The opulence of the textiles, she continued, represent dynastic wealth in an
    effort to support the central figure, the young daughter, Princess Marem,
    "within the socio-political context" of the region's medieval life. Since
    the daughter was the only heir of Greater Armenia's last Bagratuni king, she
    was to inherit the dynastic line from her father at a time when the kingdom
    was threatened by Seljuk invasions and Byzantine land annexation laws.

    A tumultuous period

    The scholar related that this family image was created during the tumultuous
    time of the Bagratuni period. "I suggest that the miniature painting reveals
    the family's response to the hostile situation of regional politics for
    Armenian nobles in their homeland," she explained.

    During this time, marital alliances between Armenian nobles were common, and
    there were intermarriages between Armenian and non-Armenian dynastic
    families. "Showing dynastic lineage and textile wealth in the image was a
    credible way to secure a future for Princess Marem through marital
    arrangements," she said.

    Hazel Antaramian Hofman was born in Soviet Armenia and came at age five to
    the United States with her family. She has delved into several specialties,
    including receiving an undergraduate degree in the sciences (chemistry and
    biology), a master's in environmental science, a master's in art and design
    from Fresno State University, and an associate degree in fashion design and
    illustration. For several years, she worked as an illustrator for Los
    Angeles companies in advertising, as well as more than 10 years in the
    environmental field.

    As a gifted artist, she has taken part in several group and solo
    exhibitions. Her latest scholarly work focuses on the repatriation of
    Armenians to Soviet Armenia after World War II.

    ###

    Image attached: This 11th-century illumination depicts the Bagratuni royal
    family.

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