Toros Roslin (Template:Lang-hy) was the most prominent master of the Armenian illuminated manuscript in the Middle Ages.^[1] Roslin introduced a wider range of narrative in his iconography based on his knowledge of western art while continuing the conventions established by his predecessors.^[1]

Little is known about Toros Roslin’s life. He worked in the scriptorium of Hromkla in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia where the patriarchal see was transferred to in 1151.^[1] His patrons included Catholicos Constantine I, king Hethum I, his wife Isabella, their children and prince Levon, in particular. The colophons in Roslin’s manuscripts permit scholars to partially reconstruct the world in which he lived in.^[2] In these colophons Roslin appears as a chronicler, who preserved facts and events of his time. In his earliest surviving manuscript the Zeytun Gospel of 1256, Roslin signed his name as "Toros surnamed Roslin".^[3] Only Armenians of noble origin had a surname in the Middle Ages; however, the surname of Roslin does not figure among the noble Armenian families.

Professor Levon Chookaszian (Head of Chair of UNESCO Chair of Armenian Art History) from Yerevan State University proposed an explanation of the appearance of this surname in the Armenian milieu. According to the professor, the surname Roslin originated from Henry Sinclair of the Clan Sinclair, baron of Roslin who accompanied Godfrey of Bouillon in the 1096 Crusade to Jerusalem. Chookaszian’s hypothesis is based on the assumption that like most prominent Crusaders of the time^[4], Sinclair married an Armenian.^[2]

The approximate dates of Roslin's birth and death can be determined using the dates of his manuscripts.^[3] At the time one could only achieve the level of mastery displayed in the Zeytun Gospel of 1256 no earlier than at the age of 25. In the colophon of the Gospel of 1260, Roslin mentions that he has a son, indicating that he was likely a priest since a monk would have no children while a member of the laity would likely not have been an illuminated manuscript. Based on the following it can be assumed that Roslin was at least 30 in 1260.^[3] By the time of the Gospel of 1265, Roslin already had his own apprentices. Roslin painted two portraits of prince Levon, the earliest of which was executed in 1250^[5](the prince was born in 1236) and the second in 1262 showing the prince with his bride Keran of Lampron. Roslin's name isn't seen on any manuscript dated after 1286 and he most likely passed away in the 1270's.^[6]

The manuscripts that have been preserved bearing the signature of Roslin are made between 1256 and 1268.^[7] Of these four are owned by the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem located in the Cathedral of St. James, these include the Gospel of 1260 (MS No. 251), Gospel of 1262 (MS No. 2660), Gospel of 1265 (MS No. 1965) and Mashtots, 1266 (MS No. 2027). The Sebastia Gospel of 1262 (MS No. 539) is located in Baltimore's Walters Art Museum. The Zeytun Gospel of 1256 (MS No. 10450) and the Malatia Gospel of 1268 (MS No. 10675, formerly No. 3627) are located at the Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts in Yerevan. Other manuscripts sometimes attributed to Roslin include the Gospel of Prince Vasak (MS No. 2568), Gospel of Queen Keran (MS No. 2563) and several others.^[7]

• Template:Hy icon Azarian, Levon (1976). Prominent figures of Armenian culture, V - XVIII centuries («ՀԱՅ ՄՇԱԿՈՒՅԹԻ ՆՇԱՆԱՎՈՐ ԳՈՐԾԻՉՆԵՐԸ, V - XVIII ԴԱՐԵՐ»). Yerevan State University Publishing. p. 578. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Parry, Ken (July 20, 2007). The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity (1 ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. p. 528. ISBN 0631234233.

• Drampian, Irina (2000). Toros Roslin. Yerevan: Tigran Metz Publishing House. p. 300.