Textiles in Armenian manuscripts and early printed books are far more than decorative elements: they provide insight into trade routes, artisanal knowledge, and cultural entanglements across centuries. For the first time, the FWF-funded project “Textiles in Armenian Manuscripts and Printed Books” at the University for Continuing Education Krems has systematically brought together sources that were previously only sporadically documented. With the transition to its second phase, the project is now making the collected data directly usable for research, documentation, and long-term preservation.
During the first year, the research team led by Dr Patricia Engel surveyed digital library catalogues, textiles databases, photo archives, and international scholarly literature worldwide. The aim was to identify and systematize references to textiles in Armenian manuscripts and printed books dating from the 4th to the 19th century – material that had previously been fragmented and inconsistently documented.
International academic conferences proved to be important catalysts. Presentations at events such as the ICOM General Assembly 2025 in Dubai opened up new perspectives on previously unpublished Armenian manuscripts, including holdings in Lebanon.“Such encounters open doors to collections whose existence we were previously unaware of,” Engel explains. “International exchange clearly demonstrates the remarkable geographical reach of the material transmission of Armenian book culture.”
A new research tool
A key achievement of the project is the development of a standardized examination form for textiles in Armenian books. It is based on previously published descriptions of manuscripts and printed works, which were systematically reorganized according to textile-related criteria for the first time within the project. This tool establishes a robust foundation for the comparable documentation, analysis, and long-term preservation of these textiles.
An initial version of the form was tested and evaluated in 2025 at the State and National Libraries in Berlin and Warsaw. In its revised version, it is now being applied in field research in Turkey, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Armenia. It will also be shared with institutions that are currently difficult to access, including collections in Israel and Georgia.
Dr Patricia Engel with an early Armenian printed book at Eton College Library, United Kingdom.
For example, the National Library of Georgia plans to integrate the form with data on places of origin, dating, and scribes, thereby contributing to a comprehensive documentation of Armenian manuscripts in Tbilisi.
Trade networks, colophons, and cultural knowledge
Substantively, the project extends far beyond individual objects. It examines, among other aspects, the trade networks of Armenian merchants, which stretched from Yerevan via Isfahan to India, Batavia, and Ethiopia, and connected to European centers such as Venice, Amsterdam, and Marseille. In this way, merchant family histories can be linked to broader Armenian history.
Particular attention is given to the so-called Ishatakarans – colophons at the end of manuscripts that name scribes and patrons and request prayers for the salvation of their souls.
“These texts are usually studied as theological or linguistic sources,” Engel notes, “but for us they also contain valuable information about material procurement, textile processing, and local practices in scribal workshops.”
Outlook
In the ongoing second phase, the newly developed instruments are being applied internationally and further refined. In the long term, systematic documentation will help not only to advance research on textiles in Armenian manuscripts but also to establish them as independent and worthy objects of cultural heritage protection. The project thus makes an important contribution to Armenology as well as to international heritage and material culture research.
Project information
Title: Textiles in Armenian Manuscripts and Printed Books
Funding: Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Stand-alone-Projekt
Duration: 2024–2027
Principal Investigator: Dr Patricia Engel, Reaearch Lab Sustainable Cultural Heritage
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