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Maker(s):Unknown
Culture:Ethiopian; Coptic
Title:Virgin and Child and Saint George Slaying the Dragon
Date Made:ca. late 17th century
Type:Painting
Materials:color on two wood panels held together by leather and string
Place Made:Ethiopia
Measurements:open: 5 1/8 x 8 x 1/2 in.; 13.0175 x 20.32 x 1.27 cm; closed: 5 1/8 x 4 x 1 in.; 13.0175 x 10.16 x 2.54 cm
Accession Number:  SC 2003.16
Credit Line:Purchased
Museum Collection:  Smith College Museum of Art
2003_16.jpg

Currently on view

Description:
proper right panel depicts equestrian figure in foreground, two figures in background, proper left panel depicts seated maternity figure with three figures in foreground and two figures in background holding swords

Label Text:
The northeast African nation of Ethiopia was a Christian kingdom at the time that this small devotional diptych was painted. European missionaries and artists were active in this region, and they brought with them images of western religious paintings.

Similarities between this panel and the Italian panel on the left include the pose of the Virgin and Child, flanked by angels, and the colors of the Virgin’s robes. The Ethiopian artist, however, transformed his European sources, dressing the local holy figures of Abib, Takla Haymanot, and Ewostatewos (bottom of the right panel) in brightly patterned textiles and turbans. The inscription below Saint George (left panel) identifies the owner of the diptych as Gebre Hiywet, son of Welde Alef.

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+2003.16

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.

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