An Armenian Silver Votive Object: Incense, Memory, and Craft in Kayseri
The Walters incense burner (accession number 57.1845), executed in silver in 1791 in Kayseri (Caesarea), embodies the formal and epigraphic conventions of Armenian liturgical metalwork. The object is conceived as a miniature domed church, its interior partitioned into three compartments for the separate storage of incense resins employed in the Armenian Apostolic Eucharist. The lid is embossed with the Agnus Dei, a Christological emblem rooted in early Christian iconography and retained throughout Armenian manuscript illumination and decorative arts. Engraved in Armenian script, the dedicatory inscription reads: Յիշատակ է խնկամանս Երգլէթցի Ալմաեան որթիքն կողակցինէրին Սուլթանին, Թէվրիզին; տ(է)ր Մովսեսի, իրիսկինի Սուլթանի ի թուրն
Armenian Diaspora Youth Ambassadors from China and Canada Host Webinar on Cultural Heritage Preservation
On May 3, 2026, Mane Vardanyan, serving as the Armenian Diaspora Youth Ambassador to China, and Maral Matig, Diaspora Youth Ambassador to Canada, co-organized an online webinar titled “Preserving Armenian Cultural Heritage in Diasporic Communities.” The session brought together participants from multiple countries and was held via video conference.Dr. Ani Margaryan, who held the role of Diaspora Youth Ambassador to China for the 2024/2025 term, delivered the main presentation. She structured her talk around the tangible and intangible categories of cultural heritage as defined by UNESCO, then applied these frameworks to Armenian diasporic communities. She outlined practical preservation methods currently
Armenian Student Siranush Adamyan Shines at Tianjin Normal University’s International Chinese Language Day
On April 18, Tianjin Normal University hosted the 2026 "International Chinese Language Day" celebration alongside the launch of the 3rd Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ASEAN Students' "Me and China" Chinese Story Short Video Exhibition. Among the many talented participants was Armenian student Siranush Adamyan, who became a standout cultural ambassador. She took the stage as part of the university's "梦幻天籁" (Dreamlike Heavenly Sounds) Choir, delivering a captivating Sounds of Singing and Smiles and Dance of Youth. Her performance was further elevated by the stunning traditional Armenian attire she wore, provided by ChinArmArt, China's sole collection of Armenian national costumes.
“Save Even a Single Member”: American‑Armenian Artist Hovsep Pushman’s 1915 Statement on the Armenian Genocide
Hovsep Pushman (1877–1966) occupies a distinctive position in the history of twentieth‑century art as an American painter of Armenian birth whose contemplative still lifes and sensitive portraits consistently integrated Asian—particularly Chinese—antiquities. His compositions frequently feature figurines of Buddha, bodhisattvas, Guanyin, Tang dynasty horses, and equestrian or polo player figures arranged in mystical, allegorical settings, executed with an exceptional command of color and technique that earned sustained acclaim from both French and American critics. Pushman’s artistic principles emphasized three core components: color, modeling, and imagination, with color often regarded as the most important element. His paintings were illuminated by a mysterious,
A Chinese Carpet in the Medici Collections: New Evidence for Sinology and Cross‑Cultural Exchange
For centuries, a large needlework carpet stored at the Pitti Palace in Florence was catalogued as Persian, Turkish, or, more recently, European. A new study by Ilenia Pittui of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, published in Kervan – International Journal of Afro‑Asiatic Studies, demonstrates that the carpet is in fact a 17th‑century Chinese production. The investigation combines close visual examination, diagnostic material analysis, and archival research, and it calls into question the origins of two comparable pieces at the Topkapı Palace Museum in Istanbul and the Louvre Museum in Paris.The object (inv. no. MPP 10562) is a large table carpet
