The parable of the mote and the beam. Oil painting by Minus (Minas) M. Zorab, 1880.

1880

1 painting : oil on canvas ; canvas 98.2 x 80 cm

Minus M. Zorab 1880

Wellcome Collection 44563i

The artist was a descendant of Zohrab I of the clan of Manuchariants, who was born in Yerevan Armenia about 1580. He had four sons. One of them, Basil, also had four sons. In due course, the family left Armenia and moved to Persia. One branch of the family settled in India, where one of Basil's grandsons (Manook (1811-1847)) dropped the "h" in the name so as not to be confused with the Parsees of the same name. Manook Zohrab (1811-1847) had eight sons, one of whom was Lt. Col. Hoohanes (John) Zorab and another was Minas (Minus) Megerdich Zorab (1833-1896), the painter of this picture, the fourth son of Manook (though in some sources the painter's father's name is given as Megerdich). He was a successful painter, who painted several icons in the Armenian churches of New Julfa (a suburb of Isfahan in Iran) (information kindly supplied to the Wellcome Library, November 2000, by Dr John Zorab, grandson of Lt Col. Hoohanes (John) Zorab, and Mr Peter Douglas Zohrab)