Armenia has approved the purchase of a monumental 12th-century Armenian church door panel from a London international auction, allocating 175,360,000 drams (approximately $459,523) from the state reserve fund to acquire and transport the artifact to Armenia, where it will be exhibited at the History Museum of Armenia. The carved wooden door leaf, dated to 1188 and verified through radiocarbon analysis, is being acquired as part of an ongoing government effort to locate and repatriate Armenian cultural heritage artifacts that have surfaced in private collections and international auctions.
The decision was reported by Arayik Harutyunyan, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office. Harutyunyan posted a related photograph on social media and wrote: “This unique sample of medieval Armenian woodcraft—the door leaf of a 12th-century Armenian church—by today’s government decision will be purchased from a London international auction and transferred to the History Museum of Armenia.”
Appropriate radiocarbon analyses have been carried out, verifying the dating of the artifact.
“Until the 1990s, we were aware of [information] about only eight such pieces, and the wood-carving samples are exceptional. In this case, we are talking about one sample—one of those eight—that was put into circulation in the late 1980s and was located in a private collection in New York.
Very recently, we have acquired a painting by Arshile Gorky, which will soon be in Armenia; it was during that work [on that acquisition] that we noticed this [door] leaf. This is a [door] leaf used for the entrance of old Armenian churches, characteristic of the Bagratuni period. Appropriate radiocarbon analyses have also been carried out, attesting to its age. There are also published articles that attest to the cultural significance of the door. Also, we dispatched a specialist who was convinced on the spot that what we are acquiring is of exceptional significance.
We plan for the [door] leaf to be exhibited at the History Museum of Armenia,” Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan had stated.
In a separate statement, Andreasyan also noted: “The carvings and ornamental design system are fully in line with Armenian medieval artistic traditions and the culture characteristic of the Bagratuni period. Until the 1990s, only eight similar wooden door panels were known to us, and, in general, examples of wood carving are exceptional. In this case, we are talking about one of these eight.”
The artifact appeared in international circulation in the 1980s and was later found in a private collection in New York. While Andreasyan did not elaborate further, the Sam Fogg London art dealership website features a monumental door panel carved for the Haghpat Monastery in Armenia, dated to 1188.
As part of the same efforts to identify and recover Armenian cultural heritage, the Armenian government has also recently acquired a painting by Arshile Gorky, which will soon be transported to Armenia.
