Unidentified

Talismanic Scroll

18th-20th century

Category
Culture
Central and Northern Highlands
Place Made
Ethiopia
Materials
Pigment on sheepskin
Measurements
80 x 4 1/2 in (203.2 x 11.43 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Ambassador Franklin H. Williams, Jr.
Accession #
86.382.39
Description

Talismanic Scroll. Scroll of two columns composed of three strips, in a circular box only about a third of which remains. Prepared for a man called Walda Yohannes. Three pieces of sheepskin sewn together forming a manuscript containing four paintings: Christ holding a sword in each hand; twelve squares, five of which depict faces and the balance, crosses; a face as the central design of an elaborate cross; and an elaborate maltese cross.