Triptych
Central Ethiopia (Eastern and Southern Africa)
Late 17th century
- Medium
- Tempera on linen, mounted on wood and bound with cord
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- 67 × 74 cm (26 3/8 × 29 1/8 in.)
- Culture
- Ethiopia
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Africa
- Credit line
- Director's Fund
- 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
Although Orthodox Christianity has been practiced in the highlands of Ethiopia since the 4th century, this elaborate triptych is rendered in the courtly First Gonderine style, which flourished during the reign of King Iyyasu I (1682–1706) and incorporated bold, richly decorated forms and figures. With its central panel featuring the Virgin Mary and child Jesus flanked by archangels Gabriel and Michael, this icon reflects the popularity of Marian worship within the Ethiopian liturgy.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
