[Armenia]. Եղիշէ [Élisée Vardapet]. Պատմութիւն Վարդանանց [HI - Lot 75

[Armenia]. Եղիշէ [Élisée Vardapet]. Պատմութիւն Վարդանանց [HISTOIRE DE VARTAN]. Constantinople, Imprimerie Astvatsatur, 1764. In-8, 8-216 (of 220) ff. in later fawn half-basane with corners, smooth spine (spine rubbed with missing leather, head and neck worn, corners dulled, wormholes in margins qq. pages, title p. restored on verso, soiling and wetness, last 4 ff. missing). Engraved frontispiece title and one engraved vignette in the text. First edition of the famous History of Vartan by Élisée Vardapet (Եղիշէ, c. 410-475), monk, historian and disciple of Saint Sahak. His major work recounts in high style the resistance of Christian Armenians at the Battle of Avarayr (451), led by Vartan Mamikonian against Sassanid forces, marking a founding moment of Armenian national identity. The colophon, originally printed on the last four leaves, is missing in this copy. The text is presented in an ornamental frame with botanical motifs, typical of Armenian printing in Constantinople at the time, divided into two columns, enriched with lettering, typographical bands and illustrations in the margins. This decorative style reflects the tradition Armenian scholarly and liturgical tradition of the XVIIIᵉ century, between manuscript and typography. Provenance: wet stamp of Եփրեմ Վարդապետ (Yéprem Vardapet), dated 1773, affixed twice: on the title page and on page 3. Handwritten note dated 1788, in which Yéprem Vardapet states that he offered this copy to Աստվածատուր Գրիգորի (Astvatsatur Grigori), on the verso of the engraved vignette. A later copy of the same inscription was affixed just below. On the verso of the engraved title, two successive inscriptions: In 1830, the work was donated by Յովհաննէս ս. Յորդանանիան (Hovhannes S. Jordananian) to Գւիտ Գյատլիան (Guit Giatlian); Below this first note, a second inscription indicates that the book was given to "his son" Թատէոսիս (Thadeosis) in 1868. Finally, a wet stamp in the name of Թատէոսիս, dated 1865, is affixed to the title page.