Martiros Saryan by a khachkar at Sanahin, 1902

The photograph shows the painter Martiros Saryan (bottom row, second from the left) by a khachkar at the Armenian monastery of Sanahin. It was taken in 1902.

Men and boys in hats and caps sit and stand around a richly carved khachkar on a high pedestal. In the centre sits a man with a long beard holding a stick, and on the right stands a woman in a white blouse and a long dark skirt.

The image conveys the young artist's bond with the medieval Armenian heritage.