Vaspurikan was a province of Armenia proper, which extended to the Northeast and south of Lake Van. From ca. 5000 BC this area was occupied by one of the most ancient civilisations in the Middle East, and it was here that the state of Armenia was founded. In the early Middle Ages Vaspurikan was a principality of Greater Armenia, but in the ninth-eleventh centuries it became an independent kingdom ruled by the Artsruni dynasty. The artists working in these secluded monasteries usually had a modest, non-aristocratic background, and their art was inspired by and adapted to the tastes of the common people.

The Nativity The Gospels 1319/20, town of Artskeh, Vaspurikan Written and illuminated by Vardan

The Entry Into Jerusalem; Christ Washing the Disciples Feet The Gospels 1392, town of Khizan, Vaspurikan Written by Petros, illuminated by Hovhannes Khizanetsi

Page from the Bible 1390-1400, town of Khizan, Vaspurikan Written by Petros, Hovhannes and Melchized, illuminateed by Hovhannes Khizanetsi

The Vaspurikan School was one of the most prolific in Armenia. Its legacy now amounts to almost 1,500 manuscripts, the majority of which are illustrated. Among the distinctive features of Vaspurikan book illustration is that they often combine miniatures on traditional Gospel subjects with those based on the Old Testament and the Apocrypha. Old Testament subjects usually come first and sometimes contain details suggested by real-life observations. The Christian motifs in these miniatures are often interspersed with vestiges of pagan pantheism. The subjects most popular with the Vaspurikan artists were The Genesis, The Sacrifice of Isaac, The Trinity (Visitation under the Oak-Tree at Mamreh) and others.

The lack of perspective in the composition and drawing, typical of medieval art in general, is more conspicuous in the Vaspurikan miniatures than elsewhere. Works by Vaspurikan artists are distinguished by a traditional disregard of the optical approach and by a two-dimensional, frieze-like representation of scenes in which figures and objects fill the entire surface of the picture. The figures are usually presented in a frontal view, and their energetic gestures are so expressive that they seem to combine several movements in one. They also tended to replace realistic depictions with symbolic forms and arrangements. The main point was to convey an immediate message to the viewer, an idea inherited from folk art traditions.

Although limited by these artistic principles and using mainly traditional forms based on methods and devices of folk art, Vaspurikan artists created a number of works marked by a certain degree of individuality.

Two scenes placed together on a single page are traditional features of Vaspurikan manuscript illumination. These scenes are interesting for the animated features of figures, especially with regards eye expressions.

Book artists in the province of Vaspurikan were often also skilful in other crafts, such as stone carving, jewellery-making and carpet-weaving, and this enabled them to enrich their technique of illuminating and decorating manuscripts, many of which are provided with gold and silver filigree work covers and with multicoloured printed pieces of cloth pasted onto the inner side of the covers.

The Vaspurikan School of book illustration, compared with other schools, stands out for its pronounced "Oriental" character. This links it with the art of neighbouring countries - Persia, Mesopotamia, Cappadocia and the Arab countries, which were part of one and the same cultural area. But although to a certain extent influenced by the art of these countries, the Vaspurikan miniature succeeded in retaining its unique Armenian character and its own artistic imagery.