Browse Items (24 total)

These two baskets showcase traditional Ethiopian styles, woven with two mixed techniques: coiling for the structure, and stake and strand for decoration. One basket is shaped as a plate, and the other has a lid. Usually, baskets in these shapes are…

The art books from the Hess Collection were crucial in the identification of recent donations from the Hess family. The book displayed here features photographs and descriptions of the Abuna Yemata Guh monolithic church.

Inside the Abuna Yemata Guh church, there are well-preserved frescoes adorning two small domes. This picture is part of one of the cupolas, and represents Isaac, Abraham, and Jacob. It dates from the 15th century.

In this scene, many people appear to play a game, while a dignitary sits on a chair, and watches them. In a small rectangle on the left, there are a few lines written in the Ge’ez (South Semitic language) alphabet.

Six men cross the fields mounted on horses. They go towards the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and two other male figures.

Mary became an extremely important figure in the Ethiopian church when Emperor Zar’a Ya’eqob (r. 1434–68) mandated the reading of the Miracles of the Virgin Mary and that she be honored at most of the thirty feast days in the liturgical year. Zar’a…

The texture of the canvas indicates that this picture was painted on animal skin. Even though the colors are similar, the style is slightly different than the other pictures in this case. As with the other paintings, it has Ge’ez inscriptions that…

Book: Christian Art from Ethiopia and Nubia
This German book illustrates different kinds of Christian art, from paintings to traditional Christian objects, such as chalices and crosses. Picture 51, on the left, exemplifies a wooden hand cross, while…

This percussion instrument consists of a wooden handle and a U-shaped metal frame, with rings attached to two metal bars crossing the frame. When shaken, it produces noise. The name sistrum comes from the Greek σεῖστρον seistron of the same meaning;…

Crosses are a dominant symbol in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Hand crosses are used by the priests to give blessings. The most prominent feature of Ethiopian crosses is their lace-like character, resembling interwoven threads, which can be observed…