Bound Manuscript: The Miracles of Mary (Te'amire Maryam)
Gondar, Ethiopia (Eastern and Southern Africa)
Late 17th century
- Medium
- Parchment, ink, tempera, wood, leather, cotton, and string
- Classification
- Book
- Dimensions
- Box: 40.1 × 36.9 × 12.7 cm (15 3/4 × 14 1/2 × 5 in.)
- Culture
- Ethiopia
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Africa
- Credit line
- Ada Turnbull Hertle and Marian and Samuel Klasstorner endowments
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Created under King Yohannes (1667–1682) or King Iyyasu I (1682–1706), this manuscript in the First Gonderine style—with bold outlines and a rich palette—includes 32 painted scenes narrating the miracles performed by the Virgin Mary, a series intended to guide weekly devotion. These codified ‘Miracles of Mary’ became one of the most popular themes for religious books after the intensification of Marian worship in the mid-15th century.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
