Object Details
Maker
Ethiopian Orthodox
Label Text
The rich colors, especially the green and deep blue, are typical of this time period in Ethiopian icon painting. The emphasis on Mary's hand gesture, the Christ child's book and the shawl's decorative folds and star and cross ornaments derive from a Jesuit copy of an Italian engraving of a Santa Maria Maggiore icon. Mary's handkerchief, however, is an Ethiopian status symbol.
Left panel
top: "St. Mary," "Our God is crucified," and "St. John" the Evangelist
middle: Four apostles or saints
bottom: "St. George" and the dragon
Center panel
"St. Mary with Her Beloved Son" flanked by the archangels "St. Michael" (left) and "St. Gabriel" (right)
Right panel
top: "Painting of Resurrection" (the Descent into Sheol ([Underworld]), "Adam and Eve"
middle: Four apostles or saints
bottom: Four apostles or saints
Description
Triptych of distemper and gesso on wood. Left panel: Crucifixion; Saints; St. George and the dragon. Central panel: Madonna and child flanked by archangels. Right panel: Christ with Adam and Eve; Saints in two lower registers.
Provenance
Ciro Taddeo, purchased in Addis Ababa, 1972 to 1998
Exhibition History
Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue - From the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr., National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, November 7, 2014-January 24, 2016
Ethiopian Icons: Faith and Science, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., January 31-October 5, 2003
Published References
Harney, Elizabeth. 2003. Ethiopian Passages: Contemporary Art from the Diaspora. London: Philip Wilson; Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 24, no. 5.
James, E. E. 2005. Technical Study of Ethiopian Icons, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. Journal of the American Institute for Conservation. Washington, DC. 44 (1): 41, 46.
Kreamer, Christine Mullen. 2012. African Cosmos: Stellar Arts. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution; New York: Monacelli Press, p. 159, no. 8.4.
Kreamer, Christine Mullen and Adrienne L. Childs (eds). 2014. Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue from the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, pp. 69, 101, 112, nos. 54, 63, pl. 41.
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Credit Line
Gift of Ciro R. Taddeo
Date
Late 17th-early 18th century
Object number
98-3-2
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Painting
Medium
Distemper, gesso and cloth on wood
Dimensions
H x W x D: 34.2 x 47 x 17 cm (13 7/16 x 18 1/2 x 6 11/16 in.)
Geography
Ethiopia
See more items in
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source
National Museum of African Art
Topic
equestrian
mother and child
snake
cross
sun
horse
moon
angel
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmafa_98-3-2