Description:

Ethiopia, ca. 18th to 19th century CE. A long scroll comprised of three pieces of sewn together vellum with calligraphic prayer passages in black and red ink and figural imagery. Scrolls like this example were typically made from three strips of prepared vellum that was cut into equal lengths. Typically the total length represents the height of the person honored by the scroll.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has several Ethiopian healing scrolls in their collection (accession numbers 2012.5, 2011.377, and 95.66)According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History essay written by Kristen Windmuller-Luna (Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University), "Ethiopian healing scrolls eliminate illness by purging evil spirits and demons from a sick person. Part of a larger healing ritual, the scrolls were commissioned by the illiterate to combat grave illnesses. While plant and animal medicines alleviate physical symptoms, the medicinal scrolls alleviate spiritual symptoms. A pan-religious phenomenon practiced among Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the northern regions of Amhara and Tigray, the scrolls restore health by utilizing written words and talismanic images imbued with magical protective powers." Size: 75" L x 4" W (190.5 cm x 10.2 cm)

Provenance: ex-Maryland, USA collection

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#125791

  • Condition: Vellum shows nice signs of age, darkening, some creasing, losses to peripheries, and a few tears as shown.

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August 3, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
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