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 |
