With the appearance of Toros Roslin, the art
of Armenian book illustration and especially 13th c. Cilician miniature
painting was characterized by a new aesthetical comprehension of the world and new ideas.
In his miniature paintings Toros Roslin concentrated the artistic experiences of the past,
both of his own and of other peoples; he opened new horizons and opportunities for future
painters. Roslins cultural heritage reveals moods formerly unknown, new
interpretations of old traditions, themes and figures. The artists attention is
concentrated on man and his restless nature in particular. Roslins figures,
externally quiet, reflect the spiritual trouble of medieval man, his anxieties, his inner
world, the inexplicable ups and downs of his apparently imperceptible emotions. A more
significant innovation in Roslins art is the individualization of human faces. In
medieval art the distinct, differing from each other and non-idealized portrayal of the
human face begins in the second half of the 13th cent. In this sense, Roslin,
the great master, must be considered among the more progressive artists of that period.
The fundamental characteristics of Roslins style originate from 11-12th
c. artistic sources. Very little is known concerning Roslins biography. The dates of
his birth and death have not been preserved; we know, however, that the first manuscript
which has come down to us bearing his signature is dated 1256, while the last one is of
the years 1267-1268. Seven splendidly ornamented manuscripts of this talented artist have
reached us, which are preserved in the depositories of Yerevan, Jerusalem and Baltimore
(USA). Besides these remarkable works of his, two unsigned manuscripts and one fragment
are likewise attributed to him. The fact that all the above mentioned codexes were copied
and illustrated in Hromkla (Cilicia) leads us to conclude that Roslin worked at that
scriptorium. The artist Kirakos and Hovhannes, who lived in Hromkla in the first half of
the 13th c. and whose illustrations have much in common with those of Roslin,
are considered to have been his teachers. The Armenian king Levon III (1270-1289) and the
Catholicos Costandin of Bartsrberd (1221-1267) were patrons of Toros Roslin and ordered
him to prepare manuscripts. Roslins pupils assisted him in his work but their names
have not been preserved. Each relic in Roslins heritage had its "Odyssey",
its life of temptations and calamities. The colophons of the manuscripts tell of their
various transportations, redemptions, captivities, of their miraculous deliverances. For
hundreds of years the later owners of Roslin manuscripts have left records begging that
those treasures be preserved and treated piously and delicately; we have also evidences
testifying the peoples high estimation and admiration of the famous artists
masterpieces. Roslins manuscripts have existed for centuries and their illustrations
are amazing even for the 20th century observer, thus extending the fame of the
Armenian artist and Armenian art all over the world.