"Leonardo da Vinci and Armenia" - Kostan ZARYAN

Kostan Zaryan's article "Leonardo da Vinci and Armenia" is devoted to one of the most debated problems in Leonardo studies — the question of the great master's journey to the East and his possible sojourn in Armenia, as attested in the so-called "Armenian Letters" from the "Codex Atlanticus."

Introduction and Methodology
Zaryan approaches the subject drawing on a research tradition spanning many years — his 1944 Boston lecture, a course at the American University of Beirut (1952–1954), and a 1967 publication. The author builds his argument on an analysis of the fate of Leonardo's manuscript legacy: of 120 notebooks, only half have survived, having passed through the hands of Melzi, Pompeo Leoni, Napoleon Bonaparte, and ending up scattered across the libraries of Europe.

Key Thesis
The central thesis of the article is that Leonardo's journey to the East — disputed by some Italian historians (unlike Richter, McCurdy, Strzygowski, and Fusaro, who acknowledge the fact of the trip) — does not contradict the documented biography of the artist, since the intervals between the recorded dates of his presence in Florence and Milan quite allow for his absence over several months.

Arguments Against the Denial of the Journey
Zaryan consistently refutes the arguments of the skeptics:

• the speed of maritime communication between Italy and Asia Minor in Leonardo's time was considerably higher than commonly assumed (as illustrated by the case of Bandino Baroncelli);
• the Florentine Republic maintained a regular fleet connecting the city with the Near East via Livorno;
• the absence of direct documentary evidence of Leonardo's foreign travels is not proof of their nonexistence, since before the discovery of the Milanese manuscripts nothing was known either about his service as an engineer under Cesare Borgia.

Psychological and Biographical Context
A significant portion of the article is devoted to reconstructing Leonardo's state of mind in Florence during the 1470s: an atmosphere of envy, intrigue, and "beffa" (mockery), the 1475 court denunciation accusing him of immoral conduct, his creative crisis, and unfinished commissions. Particular attention is given to the painting "Saint Jerome," which Zaryan interprets as a symbolic expression of the artist's despair and wounded pride, as he sought to break free from the "stifling" Florentine milieu.

The Armenian Trace in Florence
The author points to a little-studied fact of the presence of Armenian cultural memory in Leonardo's native city — the basilica of San Miniato, which originally bore the name of the Armenian preacher-martyr San Minias, was a place Leonardo had visited since his youth and whose mosaics he studied closely.

Conclusion
Zaryan concludes that the combination of biographical circumstances (crisis, persecution, the urge to flee), the practical possibilities of maritime communication, and Leonardo's early personal acquaintance with the Armenian theme through the Florentine basilica makes the version of his journey to Armenia not a literary invention but a quite plausible biographical episode, deserving of further documentary research.