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Walters Ms. W.592, Gospels
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W.592
Gospels
Vernacular: اناجيل
This illuminated and illustrated Arabic manuscript of the Gospels by Matthew (Mattá), Mark (Marquṣ), Luke (Lūqā), and John (Yūḥannā) was copied in Egypt by Ilyās Bāsim Khūrī Bazzī Rāhib, who was most likely a Coptic monk, in Anno Mundi 7192 / 1684 CE. The text is written in naskh in black ink with rubrics in red. The decoration is comprised of illuminated headpieces, numerous floral paintings, and approximately fifty illustrations (fols. 3a, 8a, 10a, 18a, 20b, 23a, 24a, 25a, 31b, 39a, 41a, 43a, 47a, 48b, 58a, 74a, 81b, 85b, 86b, 88b, 89b, 131b, 134b, 137b, 138b, 143b, 151a, 157a, 161a, 166a, 169a, 188b, 190b, 192b, 196a, 201a, 204b, 207a, 208b, 212a, 215a, 219a, 223b, 231a, 234a, 240b, 244a, 245a, 254b, and 260a ). The brown goatskin binding with blind-tooled central oval medallion, pendants, and cornerpieces is contemporary with the manuscript.
7192 AM (li-Ādam) / 1684 CE
Egypt
As-written name: Ilyās Bāsim Khūrī Bazzī Rāhib
Name, in vernacular: الياس باسم خوري بزي راهب
Book
Scriptural
The primary language in this manuscript is Arabic.
- Transliteration: ʿallaqahu bi-yadih al-fāniyah afqar ʿibād Allāh taʿālá Ilyās Bāsim Khūrī Bazzī Rāhib sanat 7192 li-Ādam /1/ [underneath by a later hand] al-muwāfiq sanah 1684 masīḥīyah
- Comment: Contains the name of the scribe and the date of copying, which is given in Anno Mundi (li-Ādam)
Paper
Laid paper
Foliation: 261+i
Catchwords: Written obliquely on versos
11.0 cm wide by 16.0 cm high
6.5 cm wide by 11.5 cm high
- Columns: 1
- Ruled lines: 15
- Framing lines in green and yellow
- Title: Anājīl
- Scribe: Ilyās Bāsim Khūrī Bazzī Rāhib
- Incipit: مقدمة انجيل متى اللذي هذانا بتوفيقه...
- Text note: Contains the four Gospels by Matthew (Mattá), Mark (Marquṣ), Luke (Lūqā), and John (Yūḥannā); each Gospel introduced by a short preface
- Hand note: Written in naskh with headserifs (influenced by tawqīʿ) in black ink and rubrics in red ink
- Decoration note: Headpieces; illustrations; floral designs; text frames in green and yellow
fol. 1b:
- Title: Illuminated incipit with headpiece for the preface to the Gospel of Matthew
- Form: Incipit; headpiece
- Text: Gospel of Matthew (Mattá)
fol. 2b:
- Title: Painted floral composition ending the preface to the Gospel of Matthew
- Form: Decoration
- Text: Gospel of Matthew (Mattá)
fol. 3a:
fol. 3b:
- Title: Illuminated incipit with headpiece for the Gospel of Matthew
- Form: Incipit; headpiece
- Text: Gospel of Matthew (Mattá)
- Label: This illuminated incipit with headpiece for the Gospel of Matthew begins: Kitāb al-Injīl al-sharīf al-ṭāhir…
fol. 8a:
fol. 10a:
fol. 17b:
- Title: Floral headpiece for chapter 16 of the Gospel of Matthew
- Form: Headpiece
- Text: Gospel of Matthew (Mattá), 16:1
fol. 18a:
fol. 20b:
fol. 23a:
- Title: Jesus raises a ruler’s daughter from the dead
- Form: Illustration
- Text: Gospel of Matthew (Mattá), 9:25
fol. 24a:
fol. 25a:
fol. 31b:
- Title: Jesus heals the man with a withered hand
- Form: Illustration
- Text: Gospel of Matthew (Mattá), 12:13
fol. 39a:
- Title: The beheading of St. John the Baptist
- Form: Illustration
- Text: Gospel of Matthew (Mattá), 14:8-9
fol. 41a:
fol. 43a:
fol. 47a:
fol. 48b:
fol. 58a:
fol. 74a:
fol. 81b:
fol. 83b:
- Title: Floral painted tailpiece to the Gospel of Matthew
- Form: Tailpiece
- Text: Gospel of Matthew (Mattá)
fol. 84a:
- Title: Illuminated incipit with headpiece introducing the Gospel of Mark
- Form: Incipit; headpiece
- Text: Gospel of Mark (Marquṣ)
- Label: Under this illuminated headpiece is written Muqaddimat Injīl Marquṣ al-Rasūl (Introduction to the Gospel of Mark the Evangelist; lit.: messenger) in red naskh.
fol. 85b:
fol. 86a:
- Title: Illuminated headpiece to the Gospel of St. Mark
- Form: Headpiece
- Text: Gospel of St. Mark (Marquṣ)
fol. 86b:
fol. 88b:
fol. 89b:
fol. 131b:
fol. 133a:
- Title: Illuminated incipit with headpiece for the preface to the Gospel of Luke
- Form: Incipit; headpiece
- Text: Gospel of Luke (Lūqā)
- Label: This is an illuminated headpiece for the preface to the Gospel of Luke (Lūqā). Under the panel in red naskh is written the following: muqaddimat Injīl Lūqā al-Bashīr.
fol. 134b:
fol. 135a:
- Title: Illuminated incipit with headpiece for the Gospel of Luke
- Form: Incipit; headpiece
- Text: Gospel of Luke (Lūqā)
- Label: This illuminated incipit page introduces the Gospel of Luke (Lūqā) with rubrics in red reading: Bishārat al-Qiddīs Lūqā.
fol. 137b:
fol. 138b:
fol. 143b:
fol. 151a:
fol. 157a:
fol. 161b:
fol. 166a:
fol. 169a:
fol. 188b:
fol. 190b:
fol. 192b:
fol. 196a:
fol. 201a:
fol. 204b:
fol. 207a:
fol. 208b:
fol. 209b:
fol. 210a:
- Title: Full-page floral composition marking the beginning of the Gospel of John (Yūḥannā)
- Form: Decoration
- Text: Gospel of John (Yūḥannā)
fol. 212a:
- Title: illuminated incipit with headpiece for the Gospel of John and a portrait of John
- Form: Incipit; headpiece; illustration
- Text: Gospel of John (Yūḥannā)
fol. 215a:
fol. 219a:
fol. 222b:
- Title: The cure of a man at the pool of Bethzatha
- Form: Illustration
- Text: Gospel of John (Yūḥannā), 5:8-9
fol. 231a:
fol. 234a:
fol. 240b:
fol. 244a:
fol. 245a:
fol. 254b:
fol. 257a:
fol. 260a:
- Title: Jesus appears to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias
- Form: Illustration
- Text: Gospel of John (Yūḥannā), 21:1
fol. 261b:
Inapplicable.
Contemporary with manuscript; brown goatskin (with flap); blind-tooled central oval medallion and cornerpieces
Acquired by Henry Walters in Paris from Leon Gruel; Henry Walters Ex Libris book plate on the inside of the upper board
Principal cataloger: Gacek, Adam
Catalogers: Landau, Amy; Smith, Sita
Editor: Bockrath, Diane
Conservators: Jewell, Stephanie; Quandt, Abigail
Contributors: Barrera, Christina; Emery, Doug; Herbert, Lynley; Noel, William; Simpson, Shreve; Tabritha, Ariel; Toth, Michael B.; Valle, Chiara
The Walters Art Museum
Licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Access Rights, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/legalcode. It is requested that copies of any published articles based on the information in this data set be sent to the curator of manuscripts, The Walters Art Museum, 600 North Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21201.