Browse Items (15 total)

Also used for blessings, this hand cross has design elements found in traditional Ethiopian wooden crosses. This metal cross is broken, and there is still some kind of residue at both ends, indicating an attempt to fix it.

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…

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;…

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…

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…

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

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.

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.

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.

These three baskets are part of a set of four similar baskets. They were woven using a coiling technique, using traditionally Ethiopian colors and designs. One of them is shaped as a plate with a footed base, and two are shaped as bowls. In addition…